What Doesn't Kill You
by Annamonk
Summary: Angelus captures Buffy, but Spike saves her. That's just the beginning. They belong to Joss, I borrow them. Runner up for Best Drama and for Best Female Characterization(Drusilla) in Round 28 Sunnydale Memorial Fanfiction Awards.
1. Chapter 1

Spike watched Drusilla cling to Angelus' arm as they sauntered away from their dangling victim, her body hung from her wrists. She had lost consciousness and they had grown bored waiting for her to awaken. Spike looked at the hilt of the dagger dripping her blood onto the floor, wasting the perfection of it on the ground. He didn't look at either of them directly afraid the loathing he felt would show in his gaze. Drusilla cooed at Angelus and flitted about him in an inebriated fashion before she glanced his way.

"Shall we bring our Spikey back a puppy, Daddy?" She pressed her pale hands against the black silk shirt covering her sire's chest and leaned her body flush against his.

"If it amuses you, but we shouldn't encourage this malingering. He needs to figure out how to hunt on wheels." Angelus sneered at him. "After all, we are demons. We fend for ourselves or serve as minions."

Drusilla's giggle dashed his last hopes. He had spent over a century catering to her every whim, caring for her despite and sometimes because of her madness, but he had never held even the tiniest piece of her heart. He slumped in his chair and stared at the blood upon the floor. Time ceased as he heard them leave him again, the door slamming in their wake.

Spike watched the puddle start to congeal and felt the rage boil within him. There was life for him on that floor and he was going to get it. He rolled his chair to the edge of the steps and looked at the puddle two measly steps away. He pushed the wheels forward and toppled his chair. The pain ripped through him as he flopped out of the chair onto the floor. It was glorious.

He wiggled free of the wreckage and dragged himself across the floor toward his goal. Tonight he would be healed or he would die with the dawn. It was melodramatic, but he was a creature of high drama. He lived for the fight, the passion, the victory. Each inch he crawled was a battle in itself. His useless legs trailing behind him, he clawed at the floor toward the wonderful blood.

Spike reached the darkening pool and rested beside it for a moment letting the thrill of victory sustain him. His prize lay before him and he pressed up and took the first taste. The rush of the blood, her blood, poured through him and he felt his toes curl for the first time in long months. He lapped at the puddle like a dog, each stroke of his tongue capturing life and restoring him. Soon the floor was clean and he flopped back and stared up at her shocked to meet her steady emerald gaze.

"Was there enough to heal you?" Her rasping voice was shocking in the silence. He watched her regarding him and felt sorrow fill him.

"I think I can stand, but I won't be back to normal for some time." He answered her honestly, never breaking the connection of their eyes.

"Please kill me. Take it all. Don't let him turn me. There's nothing left for me, of me." Her eyes broke from his and she looked at the dagger protruding from her body. "If I'm dead he'll move on, go back to Europe or something. The others will be safe. Giles will protect them."

He watched one lone tear trickle down her face and fall. He caught it and brought it to his lips without thinking. The flavor, so different from her blood, burst through him, and suddenly he could feel everything. His body electrified with life, he sprang up. Spinning about with the joy of returned movement, he laughed and listened to the sound reverberate around him. He stopped looking out into the darkness, feeling the pull of it.

He turned his back on it, the magic of the night could wait. He looked at her hanging in defeat and something twisted inside him. He looked at his hated chair and made a decision. He stalked across the room and stood before her. She raised her head and their eyes locked again.

"Do whatever you want. I don't care. Just make sure there's nothing left to turn. Please." She croaked out.

Spike reached out and ran his fingers gently along her battered face. She was so beautiful even now. He wanted to watch her fight again, wanted her bouncing and kicking as she massacred the language and punned with him. He stepped closer to her and held her up taking her weight off of her wrists. She slumped against him, spilling more of her precious tears onto his shoulder.

He closed his eyes and slid his hand down along her body. Her muscles twitched, but she never struggled against him. He stroked her naked body softly. His cool fingers traced lazy patterns on her skin as he tried to prepare her.

"This is going to hurt, Buffy. I'm sorry. I wish I could do it another way." He whispered into to her ear as his hand clasped the hilt of the dagger and he ripped it from her body. The warm gush of her blood over his hand bringing both pleasure and pain, he tossed the knife across the floor and slid down her body to gulp at the blood until the flow ebbed and he licked the wound to seal it as best he could.

Her blood flowed through him, and he used the extra strength to snap the manacles from her wrists. He cradled her body in his arms and looked at her bruises and cuts. She opened her eyes and looked up at him with such sadness. Something within him howled low and long and he pressed his lips together to keep from making the noise himself.

"You're beautiful again." She mumbled and smiled. "Promise you won't let him hurt you for this. Run from him. Some slayer will get him, eventually." She rasped these words out and tilted her head to the side offering her neck.

Spike stood transfixed watching her weak pulse. He had cursed her for months, blaming her for his injury, but she had done more to heal him than his family. Even now, as he stood with her life in his hands, she offered her throat and worried about his future. He carried her toward his toppled chair, thinking about his existence. Over a century spent in joyful evil, killing her kind in battle. She was the best slayer he had ever faced. Angelus had captured her through trickery and sedation. She had no final battle, no great showdown. He found it repugnant as he found what had been done to her.

"You're not going to die today, Buffy. I'll get us both to safety. We can figure it out from there." He felt her start to sob again, felt the flood of tears soaking his shirt, her precious tears, more healing than her blood. He knew she was crying for the death that wasn't coming and he ignored it. "You'll go in battle or old age, but you saved me and offered your life to make me stronger. It is more than any other has ever done. So, I won't kill you. I'll make you stronger."


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy found herself wrapped gently in a blanket and placed in his wheel chair. He pulled on his leather duster and ran his hands along the lapels and looked at her oddly for a moment before dropping his hands from the leather. He grabbed a small bag from a room upstairs and slung it over his shoulder as he trotted down to her.

"You stupid vampire, you're supposed to kill me. He's going to catch us. He'll turn me and torture us both for eternity. Just make it quick and be done with it. You're in good enough shape you could out run him, out last him, out smart him. Hell, I've fought you both. You could take him. It would be close, but you're better." She glared at him as he shook his head.

"I'm not a fool. As soon as I saw him being all soul having and ponce like, I made plans. I've learned a thing or two since he left us. Had to step up and do the protecting, so I learned fast. I'm a master in my own right. He thinks of me as a bumbling fledge, but he's wrong. He's not going to be able to find us, not using magic, common sense, or vampire senses. I've had these for fifty years." He slid a small bracelet on her wrist and closed the clasp and slid a ring on his finger. "They aren't much to look at, but they've kept me and Drusilla safe more than once."

Buffy looked at the bracelet through her swollen eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Promise you'll snap my neck quickly if he finds us before I'm ready to fight him, not that I should believe the word of a vampire."

"Then take the word of an Englishman. I will not let him kill you. I will, if I must, end us both to keep us from his power. You will never be at his mercy again." Spike looked at her, his blue eyes blazing.

"The word of an Englishman? That has meaning to you still?" Buffy looked in his direction, and watched him look sheepishly at the floor.

"It means something." His voice was quiet. "I'll stand by it."

"Let's go then. If I'm not going to die here, I want to leave. The accommodations leave a great deal to be desired."

"As my lady wishes." Spike stepped behind her chair and pushed her out the door, whistling.

Buffy closed her eyes to fight down the panic chasing through her system. The darkness that was her usual world felt threatening. She pressed her body into the chair and shuddered at the pain that accompanied any movement. Spike placed a cool hand on her shoulder. His hand was gentle and comforting. His fingers traced lightly along her exposed collarbone, and she was able to relax a bit.

"There's a love. It isn't much farther and all you have to do is get better. I'll keep you safe, pet." Spike watched her relax at the sound of his voice, so he sang for her as he pushed the hated chair toward their destination.

When Buffy passed out two blocks shy of his safe house he lapsed into silence. He started thinking about immediate necessities. After he cleaned her up and checked her more serious injuries, she was going to need food, clothing and time to heal. Her watcher would need contacting. The watcher could handle the cover story for her absence. It would take some convincing to win acceptance from her passel of friends. He wasn't sure if he needed it, but considered that she might.

His focus needed to be on making her a better slayer not on the slings and arrows of her compatriots. He grimaced at the thought of making nice with them. The witch wasn't so bad, the watcher was dangerous, and the werewolf was a welcome bit of brain. No, the real problems were the bitchy brunette occasionally flitting about, the horribly annoying boy, and her mother. Her mum could be an asset with a bit of work. She had a strong protective streak, but she was clueless. She needed bringing up to speed. There would be some awkward moments in the near future, but every clutch needed adjustments when new members joined it.

Spike was jolted from his thoughts when he felt the tingling presence of other vampires behind him. There was only one problem with using his magical frippery, chance. Concerted efforts, even half assed ones would turn up no trace of them, but the chance encounter was not regulated by the magic.

He locked the wheels on the chair and turned to see three of Angelus' latest minions. They weren't bright creatures, having been created for their use as muscle. Still, they could lay waste to his plans and that was unacceptable. He turned with a cocky grin and cracked his neck. He spared a moment to ponder the fact that he was about to kill his own kind in service to the slayer. He hesitated as he thought with contempt of her beloved Angel, balancing the loathing of his grandsire against the memory of her sweetly offered throat. There was no contest.

He turned his focus back to the battle ahead. He smiled and took a deep unneeded breath. It had been far too long since he had enjoyed a good fight. He looked over his opponents, assessing their physical might. If they had brains it might have been a bit of a tussle, but oxen were oxen.

"I didn't know you could get out of the chair." One of the witless wankers observed.

"Oh yeah, he is always sitting, isn't he?" The slightly smaller one asked. "So, why's he walking around now?"

"Thought I'd take a bit of a stroll, boys." He palmed two stakes and walked into the middle of their triangle. "Too pretty a night to keep the home fires burning."

They all looked down at him, and he grinned. He leapt into action staking two of the slabs of beef easily, driving the stakes up into their hearts. He swirled in the resulting ash cloud and landed a kick to the third's hip before landing on his feet.

The brainless wonder looked at him in confusion. "Why? What did we do wrong?"

"Nothing, mate. You were just in the wrong place at the worst possible time." Spike advanced toward him. "Don't take it all personal like."

He ducked under the idiot's swinging fist and grabbed the back of his leg, ripping the muscle and the Achilles tendon off the poor bugger. He felt the gore turn to ash as he continued his attack toppling the lug to the sidewalk. He stood over the minion and grabbed both sides of his head.

"Sorry mate, all outta stakes." Spike smiled and shrugged one shoulder before twisting the minion's head off of his body. He stepped back and shook off the dust before turning to check on Buffy.

He grinned as he listened to her regular heartbeat. She hadn't even roused from her sleep. He stroked one finger along the curve of her cheek and imagined her making fun of him for taking so long to dispatch Larry, Mo, and Curly.

"Time to get us home." He took a deep breath and resumed pushing her through the lovely residential neighbor hood.

He looked up to the small bungalow and smiled, with a living being residing within it would be even safer. He trailed his fingers through Buffy's hair and grimaced as his fingers encountered the matted sections. She needed care now.

He plucked the entire wheel chair up from the ground and carted his precious burden up the five steps onto the porch. He the whole contraption down for a moment and unlocked the door of the home he had legitimately purchased months ago. He chuckled softly as he plucked her chair and all up once more and carried her over the threshold.


	3. Chapter 3

Giles opened his door thinking the knock must be Buffy being oddly respectful of his home only to find a manila envelope leaned against the door with a single rose. He felt the bile rise in his throat as images of Jenny's body flooded his mind. He snatched the package up and backed into his flat leaving the flower discarded on his welcome mat.

The videotape fell into his hand from the envelope and he noticed the bloody fingerprints on the label. He closed his eyes trying to control his physical responses and remain calm.

He put the tape in the machine and messed with the buttons trying to get the damn thing to work. Buffy always did this for him. Finally, he figured out how to make the infernal thing to work.

The smiling visage of Angelus filled his television screen. Giles sat on the couch and watched as the vampire adjusted himself for the camera.

"A new age, a new medium. I find I quite enjoy the pleasure this affords me. I so love giving you gifts, and this is by far the best one I've ever given."

Angelus' hand came up as if warding off thanks politely, a mockery of the genteel manners common during the years he had lived.

"Please, this is no bother. Watchers will study this for centuries. It is important to watch, to observe their charges."

He stepped back to reveal a slack Buffy lying on a table behind him. Her chest was still moving with even breaths, and she looked peaceful. Angelus trailed his fingers along her leg as the camera moved with him.

"She is a beauty. She might have been able to take me in a fair fight, but we will never know." He bent over and kissed her forehead. "She delivered me from my horrible soul. It was quite a gift."

He stood at the head of the table and fastened manacles to her wrists, caressing her arms as he worked. He cut her clothing off with a knife he pulled from her very own boot. He kept his touch gentle moving her insentient body with great care.

"She smells sweet. I love to watch her as she sleeps, so vulnerable, so weak." He looked up at the camera again. "I had to hire mercenaries to get her. The tranquilizers will wear off soon. Then we will get to see how strong your little slayer is. If she's strong enough, this could become a regular show."

The image bobbled a bit as the camera was set on something. Drusilla walked over with chains and attached them to the manacles. She tossed the heavy chain over a large wooden beam and took the loose end over to a hook in the wall. She pulled the chains taut and Buffy's body was wrenched up by her wrists. Angelus walked behind Buffy and trailed both hands gently up and down her sides. He slid his hands around and yanked her body back against his as he smiled at the camera. He cupped her breasts and sniffed her hair, but his eyes never left the camera.

"She is perfect. Her body is tight and powerful, but she's still soft in all the right places." He pulled her tighter against him and he trailed one hand down her stomach settling it over her pubic hair. His eyes closed and he pressed his chin down on her shoulder. "Well, this won't do. Drusilla, pull her legs apart. We need to show him everything."

Drusilla stepped between the camera and the table for a moment and then away again revealing Buffy's legs slid wide so her most private places were on full display. Angel slid his hands down through her chestnut curls and pushed his fingers into her body, pumping them slowly.

"I thought you might want to see my salvation, this magic little cunt that freed me and killed your love. It doesn't look special. Oh, Buffy isn't a natural blonde and she isn't a very imaginative fuck either."

Buffy's fingers twitched and her eyes fluttered open. Panic flared in her eyes as she yanked at the chains. She pulled her legs up pushing back against Angelus' chest.

"Say goodbye to your watcher, Lover."

Buffy twisted in his arms spinning around and placing her feet against his chest and shoving Angelus back. He laughed.

"Don't touch me, you bastard." Buffy growled and started pulling at the chains until the table was wrenched out from under her and she swung free too short for her feet to find purchase on the floor.

Angelus smiled and winked at the camera. He punched her in the gut and laughed as she kicked out at him. He grabbed her leg and trailed a hand along it as he wrenched it from its socket with a sickening pop. Buffy didn't scream she just spun as he flung her leg away from him.

"Don't worry, I'll teach her some manners." He smacked her body again, laughing as she tried to fend him off with her one useful limb. Buffy pulled herself up, her hands clasping the chain, trying to use her arms as a fulcrum to deliver a blow. He just stepped away from her. He stepped away. Buffy hung spinning slowly.

Angelus walked back into the frame with a cat-o-nine tails in one hand. He waited patiently for her body to quit spinning before he let it fly.

Giles closed his eyes and listened to Buffy's screams. Then as suddenly as they had started they stopped. He looked back at the screen.

Angelus gripped the back of Buffy's head, and forced her to look at him. She closed her eyes, denying him in the only way he had left to her. He rubbed the bloody ends of the whip against her face.

"You just aren't very bright, are you, Lover?" He crooned to her. "Why not ask me to make it stop? Beg me, Buff."

She spat in his face. Angelus merely smiled and punched her in the stomach. Drusilla brought him a towel and he wiped the spittle and the flecks of blood from his naked torso.

Drusilla handed him the knife he had taken from Buffy's boot. He held the blade flat against Buffy's back and pulled her body to him.

"If you won't beg for it to stop, I'll make you beg for it." He ran his tongue up along her cheek. "You've longed for my touch, dreamed of it."

He ran his free hand along her body. He bent and drew one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking gently. He traced his lips along her chest, licking at the cuts and marks left from the brutal beating. Drusilla came up behind her and propped her up a bit pulling her dislocated leg wide as Angel slid his hips into the cradle of Buffy's hips.

"You've been dreaming of my body and that disgusting soul's affection. You still love it." He brought the knife around to show her. "Admit you want me, even without the soul."

Buffy closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. He pulled back from her and slid his empty hand between their bodies. He brought the knife wielding hand down by his side.

He played with her working her body with his expert fingers and trailing kisses along her chest. Her arms gave out and she let go of the chain, but Drusilla held her up bearing her weight. He kissed her eyelids, still pumping his fingers within her body.

"Tell me you love me, Buffy." He kissed her neck and smiled as she quivered. "Tell me how you feel about me."

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at Angelus. She smiled and let a dreamy look pass over her face before she spit on him again.

Angelus stepped back from her and brought the knife up to show her.

"A gift from your lover," he crooned softly. "You probably want it back."

He lowered his hands between them and started plunging the knife into her repeatedly. Her screams were horrible, guttural and unending. Blood flowed down her legs and still he plunged the knife in again and again until her screams stopped. He left the knife in her and stepped away. Drusilla backed away and licked blood from her fingers as she walked out of frame.

"She put on a good show. We will see if she makes it through tomorrow's episode. Be seeing you, Giles."

The image disappeared leaving a field of static. Giles dropped his head into his hands and started to sob.

When the phone rang several hours later, just after dawn, he answered with tears still streaming down his face.


	4. Chapter 4

Spike laid towels on the floor of the large bathroom and started running a warm bath. Buffy sat slumped in the wheelchair, still sleeping. He grabbed washrags and tossed them into the warm water. He didn't have antiseptic, but his saliva would seal her wounds if her healing hadn't already gotten to them.

He walked over to her and ran one hand gently behind her knees and the other behind her back. Buffy shifted into his arms before he could lift her. He looked down at her and felt that strange twisting sensation again. He picked her up carefully, cradling her in his arms. He carried her over to towels and laid her down upon them.

Pulling the blanket off of her, he surveyed the damage. The bruises were already dark purple and yellow, but they covered her whole body. The shallow cuts were sealed but there were several wounds still seeping blood. He grabbed a rag from the warm water and carefully washed the blood from her face and neck. He looked at the now pink cloth and closed his fist tightly around it before throwing it into the corner. Then he grabbed a new cloth from the tub and started working his way down her body.

He had finished wiping her feet off when he noticed her watching him. Her eyes were so swollen he could barely make out their color. She didn't shift her body or try to hide herself from him. There was no need for modesty between them. He held out his hand and she grabbed it, squeezing with all her strength.

He stretched out next to her on the towels, still holding her hand. She turned her head toward him. She tried to shift her body, but gasped in pain when her hip moved.

"You shouldn't move. I haven't reduced your hip yet. It'll hurt like mother buggering hell, but then you should be mobile again." He smiled at her. "You can help me destroy the bloody chair after."

"I want to keep it." Buffy choked out.

"Why on Earth would you want to keep that cursed contraption?"

"You used it to carry me away from there. It's part of my freedom." She tried to shrug and gasped in pain.

"Then we'll keep it until you want it gone." He reached over and traced his fingers along the edge of one of her blackened eyes. She closed her eyes and her breath escaped softly. "We need to take care of that hip now."

She nodded and let go of his hand. She wrapped her arms tight around her middle as he rotated the joint. She whimpered and he felt and heard the joint pop back into alignment. She pulled her legs up to her chest and curled into a ball.

Spike stood for a moment and watched her. She was retreating into herself. He couldn't blame her really, but she needed to stop it.

He carefully picked her up from the towels and set her in the tub. She kept her knees tight to her chest, and he could see it was causing her pain to do so. Her lips were pressed together so tightly the appeared to be white.

"Buffy, you need to let your legs down, let your joint recover." He sat on the edge of the tub. "I'll wash your hair for you, if you'd like."

She slowly let her legs slide down into the water. He nodded his head at her and grabbed for the bottle of shampoo perched on the side of the tub. He had only used it once before she had all but smashed him to death with that flaming organ. He smiled and flipped open the cap, letting the smell of vanilla waft free. He had reveled in the scent of her imagining her life's blood flowing into him. Now, he was acting as her nursemaid. He poured a liberal amount into his hands and started to lather her hair.

She leaned into his touch as he worked his fingers along her scalp looking for any open wounds. Her back was in bad shape. The cat Angelus used on her had barbed lashes. If he didn't clean her up soon she could scar.

"I need you to lie down in the water and rinse your hair." He spoke softly and helped her ease back into the water. Her hissing breath as the myriad open wounds in her back came in contact with the water made him wince. "I'm going to lift you out of there in a minute, and if you can stand, I'll see to your back."

"You're going to have to lick it like you did those two open wounds on my stomach." She looked up at him. "It's okay. I was awake. I know you did it to seal them."

"I don't have much in the way of medical supplies. Although if you need a transfusion, I do have bagged blood on hand." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Awful plastic aftertaste wouldn't even be a problem for you."

She looked up at him and he saw her pain, her fear. He tilted his head and smiled. He reached into the water and helped her rinse off before he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, wincing at the pain in her shoulders. The water sliced off her body and soaked his clothing, but he stood holding her, listening to her heartbeat.

She shivered and he remembered to move. He stepped over to the counter and let her slide down his body slowly, not wanting to shock her damaged hip. He fought not to grab her up after he heard her tiny gasp as her leg took her full weight.

Spike grabbed a bath sheet and quickly dried her body. He patted her back carefully. She tensed and held her breath.

"This won't hurt, not one little bit. I promise pet." Spike lowered his lips to her shoulder and dropped a chaste kiss there.

He slowly licked along one tear running from her shoulder down to the middle of her lower back. The blood flowing sluggishly from it tasted like ambrosia, his elixir of eternal life. He licked several more sealing them.

He heard her hear beat start to speed up, and he looked into the mirror across from them. Her eyes were wide with panic. He ran a hand along her side careful of the bruising trying to comfort her. She reached down and grabbed it, pulling him flush against her. His face pressed against her lower back, he waited for her to calm down.

"You're not in the mirror. I can't see you. I need to know it's you, Spike." She relaxed her grip on his hand.

"I'm right here, luv. Not anyone, but me. We're almost finished. Just a minute or two more and we'll tuck you up in a big posh bed. Close you eyes and let me see to you."

He watched her close her eyes and relax as he stroked her flank. He worked quickly sealing the last of the lash's damage. Then he noticed the line of blood running down her thigh. He followed it up and looked at the gouges Angelus had left in her skin with his fingernails. Spike closed his eye and rode out the wave of anger. She didn't need him touching her with feelings like that riding in him. He carefully sealed each gouge and lapped up the blood that had trickled down her leg.

"All done, pet. You ready for a bit of kip?"

She turned toward him and leaned against his chest. "I have no idea what kip is." She mumbled.

"I'm going to have to expand your vocabulary, Buffy." He smiled as she tucked her head under his chin. "Now, let's get you tucked up."

He swung her body up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He held her close against his still damp tee shirt with one arm and pulled back the down comforter and the cotton sheet to slide her into his bed. She looked tiny in the giant bed. He grinned and covered her up.

He turned away from the bed and headed for the closet. He needed to get out of his wet clothes.

"Where are you going?" Her voice was panicky again.

"Just going to change my clothes and find you something to put on. Then I should call your watcher."

"I don't want to put anything on yet. I'm too sore." He turned and smiled at the image she presented with his sheets clutched to her chest, like a deflowered Victorian maiden.

"That's fine, but I'd like to be dry." He watched her nod as if granting him permission. "I'll just be a minute."

He grabbed a fresh tee and a pair of jeans before he ducked in the bathroom to change. He picked up all the towels and shoved them down the laundry shoot with the blanket and his clothes.

"Spike what's taking you so long. It's not like you're a fashion plate." He smiled and returned to find Buffy staring at the phone. "Call him, please."

Spike nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. She curled her body up near his and rested one tiny hand on his thigh as he picked up the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

Giles stood outside of the unassuming bungalow and grimaced. He looked at it and thought about Buffy's hoarse words and Spike's rather succinct directions. He wanted to find his slayer alive and well, but he had watched the video. Odds were strong that this was a trap. He carried her extra backpack of clothing from the library and a large container of soup from her favorite Oriental restaurant. He also carried his short sword strapped to his back, hidden by his bulky sweater, five stakes, and nine vials of holy water. If it was a trap and his worst fears realized, he would die making sure Buffy would not walk the world as a demon. He walked up the steps onto the wide porch and rang the bell.

"Just come in. Never saw a man spend so much time thinking." Spike's voice called out to him from inside the house.

Giles stepped through the door and looked around the spacious home. It seemed oddly comfortable for a vampire. Spike came down the steps and stayed well clear of him. He was dressed as usual in jeans and a tee shirt, but his shoes were missing. It was oddly familiar.

"Go ahead then, pull the sword and follow me up to your charge. She's been waiting on you." Spike turned his back and walked up the stairs.

"Why didn't she come down to greet me?" Giles asked as he pulled the short sword out of its sheath.

"She's a bit sore still. The cracked pelvis and dislocated hip may be healing, but I still think she needs a few days before she springs back into action." Spike turned and spread his arms wide backing away from the stairs.

"You don't have to be such a drama queen, Spike. He won't hurt you once he verifies I'm alive." Buffy's voice was still a bit hoarse.

"Well, luv, I've learned in my rather long unlife to let the man with the sword have his way or to kill him, and I'm not going to piss you off by killing this one." Spike grinned at Buffy and winked.

Giles stood at the top of the stairs and took in the giant room, the giant bed, and his tiny slayer tucked into the middle of it wearing a sex pistols tee and smiling at him. She was covered in mostly yellowing bruises with some hints of remaining purple around her eyes. He fought the urge to run to her and hug her tight. He had to be sure she was still his Buffy.

"Toss me a vial of holy water, and I'll drink it." She mimed catching the item to encourage him and his eyes grew wide.

The marks around her wrists were still deep purple and he could see the tracery of healing lash marks running up her arms. He felt his gorge begin to rise as he flashed back to that horrible video. He put down the sack of food and pulled the vial from his pocket. He clasped it in his hand for a moment and then tossed it to her.

She popped the stopper and drank the contents quickly. Watching her hands shake as she replaced the cork, Giles strode across the room toward her, his sword still pointed at Spike.

"Put the sword away, Giles. It's rude to threaten the guy in his own home." Buffy smiled slightly and stroked the comforter. "Especially, when you consider all he's done to save me."

"We need to get you out of here, Buffy. This must be some kind of a trap." Giles started to pull at the overly fluffy bed covering with one hand while keeping his eyes and sword trained on Spike.

"Giles, put the damn sword away. I'm in no shape to take it from you, but I will if I must. He saved me. He was healed, and still he saved me. Stop threatening him." Her voice cracked and her breathing came in short raspy pants.

Giles tuned his eyes to her and saw the panic she was trying so hard to conceal. He lowered the sword and watched her breathing slow. He closed his eyes and counted to ten in twelve different languages.

"Buffy, we need to go. I'll take you to the hospital. Your mother's on that buying trip to New York, so you haven't been missed. We will work this out.

"Exactly what will we say to the doctors this time? Please ignore the trace work of rapidly healing lash marks and the gouges of missing flesh. Just fix my already healing bones. I'll be fine in a week. I just need to rest." Buffy wouldn't meet his eyes. "I just need to stay put."

"Why don't you have a nosh? The watcher has brought some lovely soup." Spike carried the bag over to her. "Smells like hot and sour and I think there might be an eggroll or two in there. I'll show Giles around the place while you eat. We'll just be a shout away, luv."

Giles stomach rolled violently as he watched his slayer nod and clutch Spike's hand for a moment before letting him hand her the bag of food. She held the bag tightly in front of her and smiled.

"Well, I am really hungry, but Giles needs to leave his sword here. I don't want the two of you getting into it over me." Buffy looked pointedly at Giles.

"I can handle the watcher, pet. I won't hurt him. We'll keep our hands in our pockets. Promise."

"Fine, but hurry back. I get bored quickly you know." Buffy unrolled the brown paper bag and giggled. "Thanks, Giles, three egg rolls should really help as I'll be the only one eating them."

Giles smiled at her fondly as he turned to follow the blonde vampire down the stairs. He watched Spike glide smoothly through the house and felt the urge to unsheathe the weapon Spike had talked Buffy into letting him keep. It would be easy to dust the vampire at the moment and then he could deal with Buffy free of his influence. They reached a large and comfortable kitchen and Spike gestured for him to sit at the large wooden table.

"I do understand how uncomfortable you are with this situation." Spike leaned back against the soapstone-topped island and looked directly at Giles. "She is your charge. I am no threat to her, but it must make your skin crawl to see her ensconced with another vampire, trusting another one of us."

Giles listened to Spike and smiled. It was not a nice smile. "You understand that seeing her cling to you makes my skin crawl. How special of you."

"She needs me right now. I'm the one that got her out of that hell, so she trusts me. She got me out of there as well, so I trust her. I'm soulless, not going to go evil on you, already am."

"Well, your honesty is refreshing. Your not going to claim some urge to reform has struck you?"

"You are a sarcastic one, Watcher." Spike smiled and his eyes flashed golden for a moment. "I'm no lap dog. I don't want to reform, but I've switched loyalties. As a master in my own right, that's my choice. That little girl offered me her blood to make me strong and gifted me with a single tear. I'm hers. I can make her stronger, make her faster, keep her alive longer. Has to have some appeal, yeah?"

"You could change your mind after she's accepted you and drain her without her putting up a fight. Look at what just happened to her." Giles glared at him.

"It was horrible, but he didn't catch her because she was weak. He hired humans to drug her and bring her to him and then he ate them. It wasn't a fair fight. She'd have been able to take him in a fair fight."

"Then what does she need you for?" Giles crossed his arms and leaned back against the wooden chair.

"She may not, but I've seen the damage he's done to others. I've cared for Drusilla for years and patched together other toys of his so he could keep playing. Last night was not his first attack on her, not the first damage he's done her. You think she's made of stone capable of watching him rip at all of her little friends, killing your love, and always she knows she freed the monster. You think she'll hold up or do you want her to die on her knees begging forgiveness because a master seducer took advantage of her precious heart?"

Giles looked away from the steady cobalt stare and felt the twinge of his own failure. He glared at the covered windows. He had let her have her allies, though he had known the vampire was a risk. He closed his eyes tightly against the image of Jenny's body arranged in his bed that sprang to life so frequently.

"I made a mistake in letting one vampire near her, and the cost has been dear. I will not make the same mistake again." Giles opened his eyes and stared at the blonde vampire standing so elegantly.

"I understand your feelings, I do, but this isn't up to you. I may be a Victorian gentleman, but I am also a master vampire. I will go only if she gives me leave to do so." He spoke slowly as a child child.

Buffy's screams shattered the starring contest between watcher and vampire. Giles watched as Spike took off at top speed toward the stairs and followed as fast as his human body would allow.

He came up the stairs to find Buffy sobbing against Spike's chest, her hands fisted in his tee shirt. He watched as the vampire stroked her hair gently. Spike's eyes were closed and his chin rested on her head. The intimate picture they presented curled in the giant bed together bothered him and yet he did not feel the disgust he had always felt when he had watched Angel hold Buffy.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" He spoke softly and approached the bed slowly. He remembered the video and felt sick, realizing she would never be the same girl she had been before last night.

Spike and Buffy ignored him. He watched the vampire whisper to her as she cried, never stopping the motion of his soothing hands. He watched her body quake as fear and remembered pain ripped through her. His hands shook and he clenched his fists and pressed them against his legs.

"It'll be just fine, pet. It was just a dream. You filled your poor stomach and drifted off to sleep. Perfectly normal, there's no one here to hurt you." Spike continued talking repeating similar things again and again until her sobs dropped to sniffles.

"Don't leave me alone tonight, Spike." Buffy mumbled as he rearranged her carefully against the down pillows.

"I'll stay if you'll be still, just like I did all day." Spike smoothed her hair back from her brow.

"If he comes, you'll keep your promise?" She looked at him her eyes looking all the greener with the evidence of her tears so fresh.

"How many times are you gonna make me answer that one?" Spike asked raising one scarred brow.

"How many times are you going to avoid agreeing to keep your word?" Buffy poked the vampire in the chest.

"I gave you my word, I'll keep to it. Now, let me go change out of my very damp shirt while you have a visit with old Rupert." Buffy nodded her head and then stared at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. Spike covered her hands with one of his before kissing her temple. "Be nice to him."


	6. Chapter 6

Angelus ripped the head off of another minion and screamed in rage. He stood, his bare chest glistening in the moonlight as the swirling dust settled to the ground. He spun around looking for another victim, and growled when he realized he'd already killed them all. He glared at Drusilla as she huddled in the corner. She'd been there since they had returned from their hunt.

"Useless, every last one of those idiots was useless. Why did I make the morons anyway?" He started to pace still glaring at Drusilla as she curled into a ball in the corner. He stalked toward her and crouched down on his haunches, the leather of his pants pulling taut against the muscles in his thighs.

"What can you tell me now, Dru?" He reached out and grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him.

"My William, my bonny boy, my jack of hearts, he's gone, and never more will he be mine." She whispered and scratched at her own arms, raking bloody trails along her skin. "Never more will he be mine."

Angelus backhanded her and watched as she slumped against the wall. He walked away. He needed to think, not listen to her incessant chatter about her bloody boy. Someone or something had made it into his home and taken his slayer and Spike. Her friends wouldn't have been able to get through his wards, and they would have left Spike or dusted him. It made no sense.

"Why would anyone want Spike?" He shook his head and watched Drusilla shake and cry.

There was a time when her broken ravings were so enjoyable. They didn't hold the appeal they once had. He closed his eyes trying to push her incessant rambling out of his mind. He needed Spike. Rage boiled through him at the thought, but he knew he needed the annoying runt to care for that bag of crazy.

"Why would another being take him? Other than as a plaything or a nursemaid, what use is the bleached blonde, wheelchair bound pain in my ass?" He shook his head and growled.

He needed to shore up his wards. Then he needed to find what was his. The soul had let his reputation wither, but he would bring it back to life. When He got his Buffy back, he would torture the creatures that had the temerity to lay hands on his playthings.

He thought of all the fun he had been planning for Buffy, and punched the wall. He wanted her here. She was his. He wrenched the chains down and looped them around his body, reveling in the scents of her blood and fear that still clung to them. Her blood and her fear, they were his driving force now. He closed his eyes and imagined Buffy hanging from the St. Andrew's cross he had installed in his bedroom just for her. His fingers traced along the length of the chain gently. He imagined her face as he played with his food in front of her, the hurt inflicted on the woman and the slayer. He uncoiled the chains from his body and flung them across the room.

His day was ruined and he was stuck with a weeping, inconsolable Drusilla because he'd killed all the minions. Without Roller boy, there was no one to make her shut up. He kicked at the piles of ashes and screamed out his frustration again.

He knew he was missing something. He had been over the room a dozen times. He had wandered through the mansion and picked up a strange mixture of their scents on the second floor. There had been a trace of something different about the mingled scent, but it was too bound into the others for him to isolate it. He tried to find the third scent again and again, but whatever had come into the mansion had been packing some serious mojo. There was no trace of its presence, but it had been in here. It had handled both Buffy and Spike. It had gone up the stairs to Spike's room, where Drusilla had left him when he didn't want to sit on his backside anymore. He traced all of this carefully again walking around the mansion with his eyes closed.

He spent the early morning searching for something he had missed, but he found nothing, He went into his room and looked at his special home for his slayer. He closed his eyes and imagined her in the little cage on a silken pillow, waiting for him. He needed to find her. He grabbed a green silk shirt from his closet because it reminded him of her eyes. He heard Drusilla laughing hysterically and decided to spend a bit of time working off some of his rage in her cold body. He stepped out of his room and looked over the banister.

Drusilla stood in the center of the great room and spun in circles. Her arms sending out showers of blood that turned to ash before it landed on the ground. Angelus watched her with his head cocked. She was still a lovely thing and an inventive fuck. He smiled as he decided on their day's amusement. They would order up a maid service. They'd clean up all the dust and then serve for a nosh. Drusilla could play while he figured out how to find his missing toy. He stepped back into his room to make the phone call.

Drusilla collapsed to the ground and stared up at the ceiling. "The knave of hearts, he stole the tart, and carried the summer away." She giggled and closed her eyes, humming.


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't care, Giles. She can't come back here right now." Buffy glared at her watcher. "It might be hard, but they can figure out something to entice her and I can get her to agree from this end."

"Your mother is not going to be easy to manipulate, and the Council isn't always patient." Giles ran a hand through his hair.

Spike watched the two figuring out how to stash away her mother far from the fight and he growled.

"Slayer, the Council might keep her safe and they might not. Hell, they might lose her to Angelus. I can keep her safe here and we can put an extended buying trip cover story in place. It'll keep him chasing his tail for a bit." Spike watched as they both turned and tilted their heads. It was eerie watching them move in synch.

"How would the Council lose her to Angelus?" Giles sounded outraged.

"Our power base is in Europe. We're owed favors, and the Council hasn't been real helpful with Buffy. I'm guessing the unorthodox slayer has ruffled some feathers. Being rid of her mum would please some of the old timers. Yeah, they'd put on a good show, but they might lose her without any real effort put forth to defend her."

"What do you know of the Council?" Giles sneered at the blonde vampire.

"Have to know what I'm hunting, don't I? I've killed two slayers, but I've killed dozens of watchers. They don't tell you about those. Those old men safe in London don't tell you much. Your Council doesn't tell you about all the lovely blokes they sent to acquire Drusilla. Do they?"

"Who the hell do you think you are" Giles sprang to his feet pulling his sword in one smooth move.

"We are Aurelians, Drusilla, Angelus and myself. The Master is dead, and Buffy and Angelus have taken out all the older members. It's down to Angelus or me for rule of the family. They will jump to him. His reputation will pull in resources you lot aren't prepared for. I'm a better fighter, but I've never played the game. Clutch politics are boring and I broke free to become a master very early. My own sire isn't considered a master due to the madness. Angelus is the master of the line."

Giles advanced on the vampire. His movements were economical. He moved fluidly and Spike smiled as he dropped into a fighting stance.

"Stop, right now." Buffy growled at them from the bed. "If I have to break up a fight, you will both be so sore sitting will be a dream for weeks. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, pet." Spike smirked at Giles as he sheathed his weapon again. "You worked on a wet team for them ay some point. You're better than most of the others, might be able to take on some of the other clutches with some luck. Angelus trained us well; even Dru is a terror with a sword. None of us need them though. Give us a go later."

"Of course, I wouldn't want to disappoint my host." Giles bent at the waist in a mocking salute.

"Giles, I have had enough." Buffy glared at her watcher and tossed a pillow at him. "Angelus knows us, knows our weaknesses. You always preach at me about using every advantage in battle. Spike knows Angelus, knows how to hurt him. I am pretty sure you have the desire to hurt Angelus in common, so play nice."

"We need to get your little crew safe. Angelus is going to be on a rampage tonight. He'll need to make new minions. It'll slow him a bit, but he might decide to kill two birds with one stone."

"How are we supposed to keep them safe? He managed to take Buffy in broad daylight." Giles started to stalk around the room.

"Let's use your Council. We'll arrange for a trip abroad or at least the paperwork. Some sort of educational exchange with some posh institution, then we keep them safe behind wards."

"That can't work for long."

"Long enough to kill Angelus, all we need is enough time to kill Angelus." Buffy smiled and yawned. "Come here, Spike." She patted the bed next to her.

He found himself with arms full of delicious smelling slayer, but he felt no urge to end her. Spike smiled as he stroked the slayer's golden hair and felt her body relax. She had spent most of the morning cuddled against him or talking with her watcher. He glanced at the man as he paced around the room, trying to contain his rage. Spike felt the strangeness of the moment keenly. His world was shaken. A day ago he had been the least cared for member of his clutch, slowly starving and always in pain. He had been needed to keep his sire under control or he would have been abandoned. Now, he was needed and actually cared for by this tiny blonde force of nature, and she was forcing him to make nice with her family one pout at a time. He rested his chin on the top of her head and let the joy of holding her wash through him.

She finally drifted off to sleep and he carefully wiggled out of the bed. He felt the absurd urge to kiss her forehead and fought it down. The watcher would do him in right quick for any misbehavior.

"We need to get planning. The daylight is wasting and your little troop needs to be summoned here before Angelus recovers his senses." Spike never looked away from her beautiful face as he spoke to her watcher.

"I'm not comfortable putting our fate in your hands." Giles grimaced.

"I would have run with her, but she loves you. Each and everyone of you is necessary to her, so I'll keep you lot safe." Spike finally dragged his cerulean gaze toward the watcher. "She's the first being aside from my mother to ever give me a drop of honest caring. I'll play nice with her puppies and I'll help you make her strong."

"You don't have a soul."

"Don't need one to do this. You all place too much value on the damn things. Think Angelus is a different bloke from Angel." Spike chuckled. "He's the same bastard with or without. The only difference is guilt, and I imagine his personality will win that battle eventually even if you found a way to lock his soul in so tight it could never be freed. It's not like a soul keeps a human from doing evil."

"You think the soul has nothing to do with the changes in Angel." Giles followed Spike as he descended the stairs.

"Oh, the guilt was horrendous. I have no doubt, but Angelus wasn't a good man as a human." Spike shrugged and walked through the house and opened a door with several locks. "Want to see the house I'm giving you?"

"Giving me?" Giles tilted his head and examined the vampire.

"Yeah, you need space for research and I only have one extra bedroom in this house, so it'll be your house. I'll even transfer it to your name if you want after Angelus is done."

"Why? Why would you do such a thing?" Giles stood looking down the stairs to the well lit and finished basement to where the vampire stood with hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"You are hers, important to her, so I have to find a way to keep you safe. She needs you. Do you want to see or not?" Spike shrugged his shoulders and moved away from the foot of the stairs. "I linked up all these houses and restored them. They were all legit buys too, no blood involved."

Giles looked around the training room and smiled. It was well designed, perfectly designed for working with his slayer. He looked at the weapons decorating the walls with shock.

"Do you know how to use all of these?" Giles gaped at the lovely pieces.

"Yeah. I like a good fight, any good fight. I keep up my training. Everyone thinks I'm what Angelus sees. I've learned to be more and to have escape routes." Spike walked over to a large display case and smiled as he reached up and triggered the release allowing the door to slide open.

The tunnels revealed beyond the door were wide and dry. Giles watched as Spike stepped into the space and pointed to the left.

"There's a three bedroom ranch down this tunnel. I haven't done much with it yet. It might do for the young whelps. It's warded and I did stash some good stereo and entertainment equipment there. The girls would probably do better in the two story down this other tunnel." He flipped his hand to the right. "I've fixed up the bathrooms and it has all new floors."

"Is it warded as well?" Giles asked.

"Of course." Spike turned and walked across the wide space into the middle branch. "This is the way to your place. It has my library. I'll need to collect a couple of personal items, but it should suit you quite well."

"You bought all these houses and made all these changes yourself?" Giles watched as the blonde vampire shrugged.

"Need a safe place, don't I? Was caught in Prague because I didn't have this set up. I was just reveling in the evil, and I nearly lost Dru."

"You left Dru this time." Giles prompted.

"Had no choice. She's his creature and I don't fit in to his plans. I was going to leave as soon as I healed, but your slayer saved me, made me whole again. I'll never se anything so beautiful as that tear again." Spike pushed open a door and walked into a finished basement.

There were crates stacked up along the walls, but the carpeting was new. Spike led the way across the basement to the stairs.

"These crates contain things I haven't unpacked yet. I promise I'll get them out of the way at some point. Let's see what you think of my library, shall we?"

Giles nodded and followed Spike up the stairs into the house. The kitchen was bright and generous in size. Giles smiled, as he looked at all the new appliances.

"Why do all your kitchen's have new appliances?"

Spike turned and looked at him. "I like to eat."

"What?" Giles was dumfounded.

"Never lost the taste for it. I don't need it, but I enjoy it. Like cooking, too. I know it's odd. Angelus used to beat me if he caught me eating, said it was like eating the grass instead of the cow."

Giles watched as Spike straightened and walked through a small butler's pantry into what had once been a dining room. The large table that stood in the center of the room could be used as one, but the bookcases covering every wall of the room made it a perfect space to research.

"Why do you have all these books?" Giles walked along the shelves touching he occasional binding.

"I didn't stay with a master for my first century. Dru knows things, but she doesn't always explain things clearly or in any way. I had to learn how to keep us alive. I look like a punk, and don't get me wrong I like what I am, but I was a well-educated man. I value intelligence."

"There are watcher's diaries here." Giles stiffened as he remembered Spike had killed watchers.

"There's a black market for things like that. I buy them when I can. They're yours if you want them. All of this is, if you use it to help Buffy."

Spike trailed out through the main foyer into another room lined with bookcases. He walked over to the desk and grabbed up a few leather bound journals and some slim books. His eyes trailed over every book and he took a deep unneeded breath.

"Call those friends of hers have them get your things. We need them all behind the wards before I head out to cover for Buffy."

Giles watched Spike turn and disappear back the way he had come. Angel had seemed unusual for a vampire, but Spike was unlike anything Giles had ever encountered, and he needed to know why. He looked around the library wondering where to begin.


	8. Chapter 8

Three bloody days and he'd rather be out killing his own kind than warm in his home. Spike growled as he kicked the poor fledge that had wandered into his path through the cemetery. The patrols were his only refuge as the children had invaded his home, and Buffy did nothing to curtail their impulsive visitations. A bloke couldn't get a decent day of rest. The fledge popped up and came at him snarling. Spike grinned as he plunged the stake through its undead heart and felt the warm shower of dust course over him.

He brushed off his wool pea coat and smiled at his ridiculous clothing. Buffy had explored his wardrobe and was busy playing dress up with him as her undead doll. Tonight it was jeans and a thick woolen sweater under the pea coat and a knit cap. Layers of wool in bloody California, it was a good thing he didn't have to worry about heat stoke. He put up a token battle every afternoon, but he would wear a clown suit to make Buffy smile. He shook his head and continued his walk occasionally jumping up onto a grave marker to get a better look at some bit of noise.

He shoved his hand into his pocket and found a piece of paper. He pulled it out and recognized the lined paper from one of her school notebooks that were scattered on his kitchen table. He raised the note to his nose and pulled her scent off of the paper. He carefully unfolded the paper and felt a rush of warmth flood through his body at the two words written in her careless hand, take care.

Spike carefully refolded the note and replaced it in his pocket. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the mausoleum to enjoy a fag when he felt a familiar presence heading for him. Spike drew in the acrid smoke one last time, letting it burn within him, the heat from the cigarette giving him the brief illusion of internal warmth. He tossed the cigarette into a nearby puddle and settled himself into a casual pose.

"Spike, good to see you, mate." The broadly muscled vampire strolled up. "I guess Angelus is putting the band back together. Felt the pull two days ago, but I want the lay of the land before I rush in."

"Always best to fear where Angelus treads. It's been a long time. Germany, wasn't it?" Spike watched Claus smile and felt the tingle of another presence chase along his spine. "Might as well call out your friend, I can sense her."

"Hallo to you, too, William." The lovely red haired vampire stepped out from the copse of trees to his right and walked over to her giant lover. She was taller than Spike by a few inches, but looked tiny as she pressed herself against Claus. "Forgive the caution, but we heard he killed off Darla and we want to be sure this isn't some purge."

"There aren't many of Darla's get left, but he isn't calling you for a purge. It's been too long, Maura." Spike looked at them and felt a moment of pain. "Leave, ignore this call."

"Why? If he isn't killing us off, we'd love to have some fun." Claus tossed his longish blonde hair back and smiled. "It's been a while since we really let loose."

"He's started a war, you'll be cannon fodder. There won't be any fun to be had." Spike tried to sound casual.

"If it's as bad as all that, why are you still here?" Claus sat on a gravestone and pulled Maura in front of him, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Dru still keeping you on a short leash?" Maura giggled.

"No, I'm deep in this for my own reasons." Spike shrugged. "Just don't want to see you both dusted. There's a slayer involved and there is no way this ends well for the two of you."

"I want no part of a war with the slayer. We should probably pay our respects to Angelus and head off." Claus looked at Maura and she nodded.

"Can't let you do that, mate." Spike said as he walked toward them. "Just leave, you're not his get. You owe him nothing."

"Why don't you want us to see Angelus?" Maura stepped close to him and trailed her fingers up his chest playfully. "If you're worried about our usurping your position of power in the family, too bad. Darla made us, not some crazed nit wit."

"Maura, I wanted you to leave because we've shared some good times. I remember that month in Istanbul so clearly I can still feel you shiver against my tongue." He locked his gaze with hers and reached up to trail one finger along her cheek. She smiled and turned to nip at it as she slid into her vampire visage.

"We wouldn't turn you away, Spike. If you need some release, we would love to furnish it." Her voice dropped to a husky whisper as she pressed herself up against him.

"Problem there, I just don't find you attractive anymore." Spike smiled as he trailed his hand up along her chest and drove the stake he'd palmed home. He heard her last outraged gasp as her ashes drifted to the ground around him.

"You said this wasn't a purge, you missgeburt." Claus roared and charged him using every ounce of his massive body to fuel his charge.

Spike stepped aside and let him ram into the mausoleum wall. The whole structure slanted as Claus pulled up and lunged for Spike again. Spike growled and jumped planting both feet on Claus' chest and launching himself into a flip to evade the crushing blow.

"You never learned to depend on anything other than your size, did you?" Spike swirled gracefully away from the larger vampire's grasp. "Too bad."

Spike pivoted and landed a blow to the back of Claus' head before he had regained his feet. He followed it up with three more kicks before dancing out of the larger vampire's reach.

"Actually, I did manage to pick up some skills along the way." The sound of the short sword being pulled from its scabbard rang around them.

Spike grinned and laughed as the battle raged. He loved a good fight. Claus was a clumsy swordsman, but his size and reach made him dangerous. Spike was covered in small cuts, but he was going to have to get in close to drive the stake home. He dropped low, sliding in under a wide swing and aimed the stake for the heart. He felt the blade lodge against his hipbone at the same moment he drove the stake into the meaty chest before him. Claus dropped to his knees, releasing the sword. Spike hit the stake with his open palm, pushing it in one more inch.

"The war isn't with the slayer, it's with me." Spike gasped as Claus burst into ash. He looked down and groaned as he wrenched the sword from his body. Buffy's note floated to the ground, freed from his pocket by the sword. Spike bent over and retrieved it. He clutched it against his chest as he limped away from the dust of his friends.


	9. Chapter 9

Spike stumbled into the basement of his home through his access to the sewer system. He dropped the sword to the ground and tried to shrug out of his coat before he gave up. He limped toward the stairs and heard Buffy's voice raised in anger.

"Shut up, Xander. I don't want to hear it."

Spike leaned against the wall and looked up the stairs. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. He rubbed his fingers on the folded paper he held tightly in one hand.

"You have got to see that this is crazy. Didn't you learn anything recently? Vampires bad, Buffy. How many more of us have to die before you quit jumping into bed with them?" Xander's outrage flowed out in his words. "Is the sex worth it, Buffy?"

"You are being a jerk, Xander Harris. He's keeping you safe, giving you a roof over your head, and all you can do is bitch and moan. I'm tired of it. The rest of the gang is over with Giles. Go there and let me do this."

"This is ridiculous. You are cooking for a vampire. He doesn't need the food." Xander accentuated each statement by thumping his hand on the kitchen island.

"He doesn't need it, but he likes it. He's out there doing my job, so I can recuperate a few extra days. I want to do something for him. He hasn't been feeding much and I'm hoping this helps." Buffy opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of blood.

"Sleeping with him isn't enough?" Xander snarled.

"Get out of my house, Xander." Buffy's voice rang through the house as she yelled.

"This isn't your house, Buffy. You can't kick me out."

Spike managed the final steps in a rush and pushed his way into the kitchen. He pulled himself up and forced his body to walk as normally as possible.

"I say it is her house, and she can do whatever she bloody well pleases." Spike glared at the three Xanders, trying to bring just one into focus.

"Oh my goodness!" Buffy vaulted over the kitchen island and caught Spike as he began to collapse.

"Get the blood, Xander." Buffy ripped Spike's jacket off and pulled the shredded clothing back from his gaping wound.

"Get it yourself, Buffy. I'm not helping him." Xander turned away from the pair crouched on the floor and walked toward the basement door. He cast one last glance back and watched as Buffy folded the jacket into a pillow and tucked it gently under Spike's head. He shuddered and escaped into the basement.

Spike looked up at her haloed by the kitchen light and he smiled. "I've survived worse. Hell, you've done me better than this."

Buffy stroked his face and felt the tears fall down her face as she removed his sweater by ripping it away from the wound. The debris and dirt filling the wound were hampering his healing. Buffy wiped the tears from her face and touched his cheek gently.

"I have to clean the wound and it's going to hurt." He turned his face against her palm and nuzzled in to her for a moment. Buffy stroked his hair with her other hand.

"Do it, pet. I'll be fine." Buffy bent down and kissed his temple before she pulled her hands away from him.

She grabbed the kitchen shears, a bowl of water, a roll of paper towels, the warmed bag of blood, and two cold ones before she knelt beside him. She hesitated for a moment before she cut away the rest of his clothing.

"Silly, you've seen me naked. Hell, you've cleaned and sealed my wounds with your tongue and I get all weird about cutting off your clothes to treat a wound you got doing my job." Buffy babbled and Spike smiled up at her as she carefully cut away his clothing. "You won't be going out alone again. We go together or not at all. Do you hear me?"

Spike nodded his head. He watched as she surveyed the wound and wrinkled up her nose. She plunged some of the paper towels into the water and started to wash the wound. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to keep from yelling.

Buffy worked quickly pulling out the large chunks of debris and clothing that had adhered to the wound. His body jerked as she pulled a chunk of the blade free from the bone, and she sobbed.

"I'm so sorry, Spike, so, so sorry." She poured water into the wound and washed out the smaller bits of dirt. Spike's body bowed off the floor for a moment and then collapsed.

Buffy examined the gash. She smiled and grabbed the still warm blood bag and ripped open a corner.

"Now, we just need to get some blood in you." Buffy nudged him, but he didn't respond. She dribbled a couple of drops of blood into his mouth hoping to trigger a response. "Come on, you need to wake up and eat."

She pulled his head into her lap and stroked his face, tracing his pronounced cheekbones. "I made you Indian food. You have to wake up to eat it though. It's so spicy. I noticed you like exotic and fiery foods. I still don't know why you even bother."

Giles burst into the kitchen through the basement door, panting. He fought back his urge to rip her away from the vampire, and took several deep breaths before he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Xander said Spike was in a bad way. It would be wiser not to cuddle an injured vampire against you, Buffy." Giles dropped his hand from his face and looked at the sodden paper towels and the nearly naked vampire lying insensate on the floor.

"I had to cut away most of his clothing to get at the wound. It's bad. The little cuts are shallow, but this one would have killed me." Buffy nodded her head toward his side. "He won't wake up and eat. I could, maybe, drip some of my blood in his mouth. See if that wakes him up."

Giles watched her fingers thread through Spikes hair and the noticed her tears. He grabbed a small glass from the butler's pantry and walked back to Buffy.

"He said your tears helped heal him somehow. Let's try those before you go and open a vein." Giles glared at his slayer.

She pressed the glass to her cheek and managed to trap a few tears in it. "How am I supposed to get enough to do any good?"

"I doubt you need many. He said it was a single tear. Just try what you've collected there." Giles watched as she shook the cup, releasing two tiny drops over the vampire's open mouth.

Spike's mouth closed and he rolled his head against Buffy's legs. He felt warmth pulse through him, and he opened his eyes and looked straight up at her concerned face.


	10. Chapter 10

Spike bit back a groan as Buffy appeared at the top of the stairs with a tray. He could smell the vindaloo, and he couldn't suppress a grin. Buffy had cooked for him, had done it before he'd wandered in injured. He watched her walk carefully across the room, balancing her burden.

"Buffy, that's a fourth pint. I'm really not that thirsty." Spike grinned as she settled the tray over his lap and smiled as she stood holding the cloth napkin in front of him. He reached for it and raised an eyebrow at her, but she quickly tucked into his lap, smoothing it across the bedding. Spike took a deep unnecessary breath.

Buffy climbed up on the bed and grabbed one of the bowls from the tray, settling cross legged near his knees. It was all very domestic. The slayer, the ultimate killing machine for his kind, was very much a nurturing homebody. He shook his head at the oddity of it all.

"Shut up. Drink your blood like a good little vampire, or I'll have to punish you." Buffy smiled at him and pointed at his cup. "Bottoms up."

Spike blinked rapidly as her words teased through his very wicked mind. "Bottoms up, indeed." He mumbled.

"I mean it Spike, you need to feed." Buffy narrowed her bright green gaze and snarled at him. "Don't give me any shit."

It was too precious when she played it tough, like a kitten spitting at him. He grinned at her and picked up his mug dutifully. He watched her spear a piece of chicken and bring it to her mouth, her pink tongue shooting out to gather in the dripping sauce. Suddenly, domestic slayer appealed to him on a new level. He gulped down the unwanted blood just to please her. He frowned at the nasty plastic aftertaste of the bagged blood and grabbed his fork, hoping the vindaloo would wipe out the vile flavor lingering in his mouth.

"I hope you like it. I wanted to do something nice for you. You've done so much for all of us, and they are treating you like a leprous, rabid dog." Buffy looked into her bowl.

"A leprous, rabid dog?" Spike smiled at the description. "Not bad enough to be rabid, but I have to be leaving a trail of bits and pieces behind me?"

"That's the way I see it." He looked up at her and saw her jut her chin out in an expression he was coming to know very well.

"To be fair, pet, I have tried to kill them all at various times. They have reason to mistrust me." He reminded her with a smile. "Give them time."

Spike smiled as he watched emotions war on her face. She was so unguarded with him now, and it thrilled him.

"They are living behind your wards, safe from harm. They ought to show you some respect." Buffy grumbled mulishly.

"You set such a fine example for them, threatening me with bodily harm, letting them tramp through our room while I'm trying to catch a bit of kip, letting them berate you." Spike smiled at her and took a bite of his food.

"How does the way they treat me have anything to do with you?" Buffy looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"You let them dump all the responsibility on you, pet. Angelus killed Giles' ladylove because she was a danger to him. He would have killed her even if she had nothing to do with your little group. Torturing Giles with it was a bonus for him is all. He's hunting them because they associate with you, true, but would they still be alive without you?" Spike smiled at her softly. "You let them talk down to you about everything but me. It scares them. Their petty fears start to run away with them. Angelus made certain of that. They look at me and you defending me, and they figure I'm more of the same."

"They think you'll turn on us and I won't be able to kill you." She slumped down and looked deeply into her bowl.

"You blame yourself for all the world's evil. Why shouldn't they?" Spike moved the tray to rest beside him and pulled Buffy into his arms. "You can't stop it all. This is a war I don't think either side is meant to win."

Buffy's eyes snapped up to his face. He watched her struggle trying to figure out which question to ask, and put one finger up against her lips. He was distracted momentarily by their softness and the whisper of her breath across his finger, warm and alive.

"There's free will and the trembling bloody balance. Even if the apocalypse happens, there will still be good waiting its turn to grab control again." He dropped his hand to her shoulder and rubbed his thumb along her collarbone.

"Then what I do doesn't matter?" He felt her body quake under his hand and he released her shoulder to grab her chin and force her to meet his gaze.

"Couldn't be further from the bloody truth if you tried, love. You are everything. You are the lightening rod, the call to arms, the perfect purpose, my perfect purpose. Your continued breathing is reason enough for the world to go on. You have to fight night after night, against odds that boggle the mind, to protect the world. Why do you do it?"

"I love them. Sure, I want to be normal, but then who will protect my little circle?" Buffy shrugged.

"And if they were all gone?" Buffy glared at him, but he smiled gently at her and trailed his fingers along her jaw.

"I'd fight for the rest because there are a lot of circles out there, and it's my duty to protect them." Buffy's voice carried the hard edge of her anger. "Doesn't make it easier though."

"No, I don't imagine it does." Spike gathered her closer to his chest, ignoring the pull in his side as he stretched the healing skin and muscles.

"So, what changed you?" Buffy mumbled as she tucked her head under his chin.

"You did, love. Evil is easy, but love is hard. I want love. I want to give it and be worthy of it. I've finally realized that you can love with or without a soul, but what form it takes, what reward it offers is shaped by the life you lead."

Buffy pulled back and looked up into his eyes. She raised her hands and they trembled as she rested them next to his ears, letting her thumbs caress his cheekbones. She twisted around until she rested on her knees facing him. He watched as she stroked his face and reveled as she twisted her fingers into his hair.

"Are you looking for redemption?" She stared deeply into his eyes and held her breath waiting for his answer.

"No, if I happen across it I won't run from it, but all I want is to love without pain." Spike lowered his eyes, breaking away from her intense gaze.

"You don't want someone to love you?" Buffy ran her fingers under his chin and forced their eyes to lock once more.

"I'd like to be worthy of it, but I'm not a fool." Spike stopped speaking as Buffy trailed her fingers along his lips. She rose up on her knees, never breaking eye contact with him, and leaned in to rest her forehead against his.

"You don't have to be worthy of love. Love has a cost, but as far as I can tell there's no price." She smiled at him and slid her hands into his hair before she closed her eyes and dipped her lips to his for a kiss.

Spike shuddered as her breath teased along his lips as they softly claimed his. She pressed against his body and he felt the heat of her flow into him. He wanted to kiss her properly, but held back, enjoying the gift of her attention. She pulled away and turned settling herself between his legs and grabbing her bowl once more. She leaned back against his chest and raised a bite over her shoulder and waited for him to take the bite from her fork.

Spike took her offering and wrapped his arms around her in a loose hug. "You did a fine job with the spices, Buffy."


	11. Chapter 11

Drusilla pet the young man she had taken at the college. He looked a bit like her William, but he didn't have her boy's fire. She traced her finger along his lip and giggled. He was pretty, but he had no imagination and no real gift. He was destined to be food, her food.

She moved away, leaving her dinner to rest and looked out into the night through her window. William was out there, and she knew it. He was fastened tight to his destiny.

She closed her eyes and felt for him through their bond, but it was gone. She was his sire, but he had slipped the lead, gone off to play in the ashes with this slayer, the one he could not kill.

Daddy was too busy for her now, chasing his destiny as well. She touched a finger to the glass and tried to remember things, important things, but she could hear the pixies singing about a grand old Duke. Their high voices swirled around her as they danced.

She closed her eyes and found herself in a field surrounded by white roses. Daddy was crowned with them and standing before a statue. She could feel the coldness emanating through him into the field.

Drusilla looked away from her sire and found the red witch crowned with cyclamen with her wolf seated at her feet leaning against her.

Drusilla looked up to find the stars and fairies but there was nothing above her. This world was bathed in the gentle light of the glowing roses. She heard music coming in the distance and she swayed around the field.

Spike tapped her on her shoulder and she laughed. "My boy, you've come back."

She hugged him close, but he pushed her back and pointed toward the giant goblet that had appeared in the middle of a circle of red roses. He held his finger to his lips and ran toward the circle, leaping over the red roses as they grew into a hedge.

Drusilla heard the pixies singing again and found herself back in her room with her entertainment just beginning to rouse. She giggled and turned toward the bed. He wasn't her William, but he would do for the night, maybe more than one night.

"How did I get here?" The young man looked around the frilly bedroom. His discomfort was obvious.

"I asked you in my special way, my delicious one. You remind me of my boy. He was naughty and didn't mind his mummy or his grandpapa, but you won't have that problem." Drusilla smiled and reached out to play with the buttons on his grey shirt.

"Okay, I'm sure this could be fun, but this is so not my kink." The man looked up at her with grey eyes and she felt a flash of annoyance at his loutish behavior. "So, I'll be going."

"No, you are my boy for the night. You will be good or Mummy will punish you." Drusilla ripped his shirt down the middle baring his warm flesh. He struggled as she pressed him to the bed with one hand. Panic flared in his eyes as he realized there was no escape. She was in control.

"Please," he begged. "Let me go."

Drusilla shook her head slowly from side to side. "I wouldn't have any fun if I did that, now would I?"

She lowered her lips to his and kissed him hard on the mouth. His lip tore and started to bleed. Drusilla pulled back from him with a giggle licking his blood from her lips with relish. His mouth opened and closed but no sound escaped.

"You will be my tasty treat." Drusilla tittered and bent down again to lap up the bit of blood welling at his lip. She hummed a little ditty before she nuzzled into his neck, enjoying the scent of his fear. She could hear the rush of his heart along with the pixies as she bit her tongue letting her mouth fill with blood. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his chastely.

He started to struggle against her and she forced his mouth open by pressing on his cheeks. She opened her mouth and let her blood flow into his. He tried to expel it, but she held him fast until he swallowed And started to draw on the blood still seeping from her tongue. She sat back and watched his eyes go soft. His body relaxed beneath hers and she giggled. He smiled at the sound.

"You'll be a sweet little minion, won't you?" Drusilla petted his chest gently waiting for the blood to take full effect on him. "Without my William, I need a strong man. I hope Daddy lets me keep you."

She started kissing his neck and chest encouraging his heart to beat faster carrying her blood throughout his still living body. Her long nails ripped through the remnants of his ugly gray shirt and then she started to carve designs into is chest, watching the blood well before licking the designs closed. His body grew hard against her hip. He wouldn't be her William, but it would do for now.

"Are you ready for me, minion, ready to be mine?" Drusilla crooned to the man riding his final human high. He turned his dazed eyes toward her and nodded.

Drusilla ran her fingers into his hair and yanked back his head exposing his pounding pulse to her questing tongue. She licked along it and enjoyed his delighted shiver. He reached up and grabbed her hard yanking her over him and pressing his manhood up against her. She smiled at his roughness, giddy in her moment of destruction. She pulled back and looked down at him admiring the artful flares of color that came with a beating heart.

She ripped his jeans off and yanked her skirt up to her hips before throwing a leg over him and sliding her cool body onto his warmth. She grinned at him as he tried to push her over.

"Now, now. Be patient." Drusilla smiled at him and then smacked him hard across the face. He howled in pain and tried to dislodge her, but she tightened her legs and enjoyed his bucking as it caused him to thrust wildly into her. She slid her hands along his sweating chest and listened as his heart beat quickened when she drove her fingernails into the skin above his still beating organ. "I don't like drums."

The tears were streaming from his eyes, and he quit fighting unable to stop her motion as she rode him. He whimpered and turned his head into the white ruffled pillow.

Drusilla sank forward and watched his leaping pulse as she ground herself upon him. The small sounds of his surrender excited her. He would be hers, entirely her creature. She grinned and let her demon face slide to the fore. Her pink tongue licked along his skin gathering his sweat as she traced his collarbone and then chased the throbbing pulse up his neck.

He screamed when she bit him and started thrashing again. She gulped his blood quickly feeling him swell and the heat grow within her as she welcomed the last bits of his life into her body.

She heard the door open as she licked up the remnants of her minion's blood. "Hello, Daddy. Where is your pretty crown?"

Angelus shook his head at her odd question. "Playing with your food, Dru?"

"He'll be my new boy, my pretty toy." Dru looked at Angelus' feet as she slid off the cooling body.

"He'd better be a minion. I don't have time to fledge another childe for you." Angelus growled.

"He's just a minion. I promised no more of the other." Drusilla looked adoringly at Angelus.

"Well come here and earn his keep." Angelus unbuttoned his silk shirt and unbuckled his pants as she danced closer to him.

"I'll be so good, Daddy." She smiled and leaned up to kiss him when Angelus grabbed the back of her head and rolled his hand in her hair pulling her neck back.

"I don't want to taste your last meal, so you'll do this on your knees." He pulled her down with the one hand tangled in her hair as the other finished freeing his cock.


	12. Chapter 12

Spike sat up in bed and stretched, waking up after his first good day's rest in ages.

He grabbed the still dented pillow next to him and inhaled deeply. Her scent lingered on the case, vanilla and warmth. He smiled and shook his head.

"How do you manage to smell warm even hours after you've gone?" He smirked, carefully replaced her pillow. He smoothed his hand along the wrinkled sheets where she had curled next to him, one hand resting on his arm, and slept. The trust she gave him was absolute and humbling. He felt the need to be worthy of it, worthy of her trust and deserving of her kisses.

He dressed in the clothes she had laid out and smiled. The jeans were older and comfortable. The sweater was deep blue cashmere wool. He felt that strange twisting sensation in his gut as he slipped the sweater on over his head, letting the softness glide against his skin. Pleasing her was so easy. After a century catering to Drusilla's every whim, Buffy's gentle hand was easy to serve.

Spike trotted downstairs and listened to the ring of swords echoing up from the training room. He headed in that direction. He smiled as he stepped into his training room and took in the sight. The watcher was bloody brilliant with a sword, holding his slayer off with apparent ease for quite a bit.

Then Buffy laughed and spun tossing her sword in the air and catching it with her other hand. She grinned and attacked him. Her sword moved quickly as she spun and twirled around her watcher. She had him on his knees with her foot on his blade in about thirty seconds.

Spike coughed and waited until both combatants turned toward him. "Can I have a go?"

"Only if anything goes." Buffy quipped. "I've done my exercises in control for the day."

"Buffy, you need to learn to master the blade in any condition. We do this to make you stronger." Her watcher cast her a tired look.

"I hear you, Giles. I just don't like it. I want to push the limits a bit." She grinned and waggled her eyebrows at her watcher.

"Then do so with your willing partner and I will observe from a safe distance." He tossed his sword to Spike and frowned at them both.

Buffy blew her watcher a kiss and giggled when he winked at her. She rolled her neck and turned to Spike with a smile.

"Are you sure you are up to this? I had to do a lot of vacuuming this morning." Buffy looked at him taking in his relaxed stance.

"Buffy, you made me drink four pints last night. I'm full and fully recovered. I'm more than ready for this." He smirked at her standing there in her pink work out clothing and bare feet.

"You think so?" Buffy tilted her head and looked him over. "Take off the sweater. I like it and it would be a pity if I poked a hole through that softness."

"If you want to see my bare chest, all you have to do is ask." Spike set his sword down and pulled the sweater over his head when she lunged and knocked him flat on his back. He looked up at her as she smiled down at him, her blade held steady over his throat.

"Did you miss the anything goes part?" She stared down into his blue eyes and felt her body warm up in unusual places.

"I guess I did." He raised his scarred eyebrow at her, and took a deep unneeded breath. Her familiar scent invaded his senses, but he noticed a slight change. It had been faint as she fed him last night, but now it was a bit stronger. He grinned. She was aroused. This marvelous, funny creature crouched over him with a blade at his throat; this goddess of humanity wanted him. He bucked his hips up into hers and dislodged her.

Buffy was on her feet and circling him before he was up and free of his sweater. He tossed it to the watcher and grinned as he heard her take a deeper breath. She ran her tongue along her lower lip as he rolled his neck and bounced on the balls of his bare feet. He dropped down to the mat and rolled to retrieve his blade. He stood with it, and immediately sought her position. He watched her from the corner of his eyes as he tested the weight of his blade. It was a well-balanced weapon. He pivoted with her, sliding into the dance.

"So, pet, is that all you've got? A sneak attack won't take me down now." He watched her flush, but she fought off the urge to rush him.

"Overconfident much?" Buffy smirked at him. "After all, I'm always the one kicking your ass."

She came at him with a quick step and brought their swords together with a jarring clang. She grinned as their blades slid along each other, leaning her weight on her back foot she suddenly pivoted and used her leading foot to kick his hip sending him stumbling to the side. He managed to bring his sword up to block her next blow by dropping to one knee. He dropped back and let her momentum take her a step past him as he regained both his feet.

He attacked from counter before she had a chance to reorient. She met his every thrust and smiled as he started to put more strength behind the blows. She brought her other hand to the grip and launched a series of quick cuts, driving him back. Her eyes narrowed as he tried to step to the side to escape her advance.

She took a full pass at him, but he spun away in the other direction. She was sweating. He watched the liquid glisten on her skin and decided on an attack that would disconcert her. He darted in bringing their weapons together and trapping her blade briefly. He stepped into her space holding her blade away from his advance and licked her from collarbone to ear.

She backhanded him with one hand sending him flying across the mat. He sat up and watched her rub her neck with her hand as she wrinkled her nose. It was adorable.

"You licked me." She grimaced at him. "There's no licking happening here. This is training."

He made a large show of licking his lips, and enjoyed watching her eyes go wide. He flipped back to his feet and laughed. Buffy pointed at him with her sword.

"What happened to anything goes?"

"Licking is not anything." Buffy's look turned mulish.

"Actually it is. If I can lay my tongue on your throat, I can sink my fangs in as well." He smacked his lips together. "Even your sweat is delicious in case you were wondering."

She growled at him and tossed her sword to her watcher. Giles caught it and watched as she charged Spike with wide eyes. She captured his sword arm and twisted her body into his pulling his front flush to her back. She wrenched the sword free from his grip and tossed it away from them. It clattered along the floor coming to rest some distance away.

"Ready for some hand to hand?" She snarled.

"We are going to have to work on your common sense, slayer. Never surrender a weapon. You don't have them built in." He allowed the demon to surface and tilted his head toward her exposed neck only to be driven back by her elbow.

"I said no licking. There will be no licking. Do I make myself clear?" She tossed him over her shoulder and used the pull of his hand to swing her legs around in a punishing double kick that dropped them both to the mat.

Spike grunted as she slid over him again one hand on each of his shoulders. He could smell her arousal strongly. "You sure about that, pet? I've got a very talented tongue."

She slapped him lightly on the chest and sat up pressing herself against his cock with a wiggle and smirked at him. He brought his legs up and flipped them. He pressed his cock against her, enjoying the pressure of his denim prison. He watched her eyes darken and she bit her lower lip, pulling it into her mouth a bit.

"And I'm the one holding a candle to the devil." He shook his head and laughed as he got up and pulled her up to her feet. He brought her eyes up to his with a gentle hand and rubbed her cheekbone with his thumb. "I need to talk with your watcher, could you go clean up and give us a few minutes."

She nodded, and looked up into his incredible eyes. "We need to talk, too."

"We will, soon." He dropped his hand from her face as she nodded and stepped back from him. She grinned at him impishly. She spun and bounded across the room and up the stairs.

Spike watched her disappear up the stairs and was hit in the head with his sweater. He turned to her watcher and shrugged into his sweater. The older man held both swords in his well-practiced hands.

"What are you doing with her? What game are you playing?" Giles brought one sword up to examine the blade in a subtle threat.

Spike rolled his eyes. "I am not playing games. I will follow your regimen. You tell me where she is weak and I will help you fix it. She has to survive. Angelus will have to be dealt with soon. We don't have long."

"I'm not blind. I saw what was going on between the two of you today. You'll not put me off with fears of your grandsire." Giles moved both blades in arcing figure eights, showing off his skill.

"What goes on between the slayer and me, that's ours. I don't owe you an explanation. She'd skin me for offering one." Spike watched the play of light along the blades as they moved closer to him.

"After what she's been through, she does not need you trying to take advantage. I will not have it." Giles' voice stayed calm and even.

"I was bloody there. I saw, smelled, and heard more than your sodding video revealed. I know better than you what she went through. You don't think I'm taking advantage or you wouldn't be showing off with the blades, you'd be using them." Spike watched as the blades stilled and the watcher's green gaze dropped to the mats. "You didn't fail her. Things went wrong. Angelus is a sneaky bastard and he isn't done. Stop fretting over me and start worrying about him."

"Your conversion is convenient. Suddenly we all have lush homes that are safe. Buffy trusts you blindly, and I'm supposed to fall in line. I did fail her. I won't do it again." Giles glared at him and brought the swords up.

"You didn't fail me." Buffy said quietly as she came down the stairs. "There are some things I need to say, so you both need to listen. Put the damn swords away."

Buffy sat down. She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked on her perch halfway down the stairs. She watched Giles store the weapons in the cabinet. She dropped her gaze to the ground when he finished. Her fingers flexed against her calves.

"Angelus is coming. I've been dreaming, but I haven't been able to pull any details out of the dreams yet. I need to prepare and that means training. Spike will help." Her eyes locked with Spike's and he nodded.

"Buffy, you need to talk to me about prophetic dreams." Giles sounded exasperated.

"I'll write them down and give you the notes, but I don't want to talk about them just yet. I can't." Buffy looked at Giles with her pain evident in her eyes.

"Fine. It can wait. This thing with Spike needs to be addressed." Giles stopped speaking as her hand flew up.

"Stop right there. He saved me and he made me a promise. I won't let you talk about him as if he is just an issue. He's in the room. If you have concerns about our working relationship, ask away. Our personal relationship is off limits. Do I make myself clear?"

"It has been your refrain of late, so I am up to speed." Giles ground out. "I disagree with your stance."

"Fine. Spike and I are living together. The relationship defined enough for you? I will not have him treated badly in my home." Buffy stood and stormed down the stairs to stand toe to toe with her watcher.

"Is that what you'll say to your mother when she arrives in two days?" Giles glared down at Buffy.

"Not your business, is it?" Buffy returned his glare and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'll deal with her. She's going to have a hard enough time dealing with the slayer stuff. My living arrangements will probably be a blip on her radar."

Giles shook his head and then lost it. He howled in laughter and hugged Buffy tightly. She hugged him back and giggled against his chest.

"Why are we even worried about Angelus? She's going to kill us all." Giles said, shaking his head.

"It's all well and good to worry about the slayer's mum, but we have bigger problems." Spike watched as Buffy and Giles composed themselves. She squeezed her watcher's arm and stepped back from him.

"Let's talk about it with the whole gang. It's time to get them up to speed, and get them used to you." She grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers with a gentle squeeze.


	13. Chapter 13

Spike watched as the group jostled about his kitchen table grabbing up bowls of the spaghetti and meatballs Buffy had made earlier. It was chaotic. Buffy was leaning against the island with her back to him watching over them, waiting for her moment.

When they all settled she grabbed two bowls and set one at the unclaimed place beside her, a demand disguised as an invitation. He grinned at being included, and moved to take his place beside her. He scooted his chair in and looked at her as she stared steadily at each of her friends.

"He gets to eat food?" Xander tossed his hands up in outrage. "Good Buffy made spaghetti? He doesn't need it. Why are you giving him my food?"

"Xander, shut up." Cordelia glared at him. "I think the fact that we have to deal with another one of Buffy's relationship blunders before the last psychotic is dealt with is a little more important than the needs of your stomach. If she would just go on and do her job."

Spike brought the flat of his hand down on the table. "Angelus is a wily bastard and crueler than you can imagine. You lot know the kinder softer version, but he's full on monster. He isn't a puppy that's slipped the lead, he's the demon other demon's fear. Now, I don't have a soul or a desire to recompense my sins. You are under my protection because of Buffy; hurt her and I'll truss you up like a Christmas goose and drop you off at the mansion for the bastard. He likes to play with his food, and don't suffer under the delusion that you would be anything more than that to him. Red would, even the whelp, but you, princess, would be nothing more than dinner and a show."

Cordelia stood up and pointed one perfectly manicured nail at Spike. "I'm here because things go wrong around her and she's a train wreck. If she'd stayed away from the vampire like everyone told her to this never would have happened."

"Sit down and do be quiet, Cordelia. You are here because Buffy cares enough about you to see you safe from the monster she had nothing to do with creating. Angelus is over two hundred years old. Buffy did not turn him into a killer. If Jenny had told us the truth, we might have been able to avert this. As it is we must make the best of a bad situation." Giles looked away from the group and stared at the floor beside his chair.

"Jenny's dead because Buffy didn't listen to you. You told her it was a bad idea to get close to him. She did it anyway. We'd all be better off if she would recognize that sleeping with vampires is necrophilia." Xander glared at Giles. "I love Buffy. She's great, but she makes bad choices."

Spike growled and vamped out before slamming his hands down on either side of Xander's bowl.

"Your not helping, Spike." Buffy said quietly. "I didn't listen to Giles. He's right. Jenny's blood is on my hands. I didn't see what Angel was under all the remorse. I see it now."

Spike watched her shrink in her seat, and he wanted to howl in pain. His gut twisted. He sat down beside her and she didn't look at him. She kept her eyes on her bowl. He saw the pain tearing her apart, and that twisting sensation in his gut intensified.

"I told her friends were a bad idea as well. Do you wish she had listened to me? She'd be dead. The Master would have destroyed the world, as we know it. Would that be better?" Giles looked at Buffy sadly. "She's suffered more than any of us can imagine. I won't allow you to talk to her with disrespect again."

Xander looked down at his bowl. Spike watched the boy's shoulders slump and felt a strange sympathy for him.

"Well, I'm not talking with any disrespect, but I don't get it. He's evil and soulless. There's nothing there for you, Buffy. I'm your best friend and you aren't talking with me about anything. It makes me nervous. You used to tell me…."

"I don't think playing the blame game is working for us." Oz looked at the group as he interrupted his girlfriend. "I'm a monster. Spike's a monster. Giles is a watcher. Buffy's a slayer. Willow's a genius. Cordelia's a diva. Xander's a class clown. We're all labeled up. Let's find out what Buffy and Spike have to say."

Willow nodded first, but the other's followed suit and turned their eyes back to Buffy and Spike.

"Spike and I will be handling patrol together from now on. Angelus has called the remaining Aurelian's here. Spike killed two of them last night." Buffy closed her eyes and thought about his injuries. "These are not your run of the mill vamps. We need to be very cautious."

"Which two?" Giles demanded.

"Claus and Maura. They were Darla's get, older than Angelus. There's something else. I don't feel the call. I should feel it, but I don't. I have no idea how many Aurelians are left, but apparently I am no longer one of them." Spike locked eyes with the watcher. "Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

"No, but your library may be better suited to this research area than mine. I will delve into it as soon as we are done here." Giles pulled his glasses from his face and began polishing them. "We will research while you two patrol."

Spike nodded his head and pushed back from the table. Buffy hadn't touched her meal, but she was moving her food around with the fork and staring at sadly at it. The twisting became stronger. He thought about stroking her hair and pulling her into his lap, but their audience wouldn't appreciate the gesture.

"I'm a soulless vampire. I'm supposed to kill you all and not care. Hate me. Don't trust me. I don't care, but treat her with kindness and respect. She deserves it." He rested his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed for a brief second. "I'm going to change for patrol."

He walked from the room and was half way up the stairs before he heard her chair scrape back from the table.

"I'll keep you safe if I can." Buffy's voice rife with sadness. "I have to go patrol. Please clean up when you're done eating."


	14. Chapter 14

Spike seethed as he walked behind a dejected Buffy. Her fingers trailed along the tops of the grave markers, her eyes glued to the ground. Her little band of cohorts was going to get her killed before Angelus even tried for her again. They were so busy blaming her for everything that they didn't see her anymore.

"You need to tell them to get off your back." He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. "You are not responsible for this."

"Oh, really? So, I wasn't the one that fucked her demon lover and set his evil free? I didn't get Jenny killed? If I had just kept my knees together, he'd be trying for redemption instead of killing every night. I loved him. Now, he's a monster." Buffy snarled at him and shrugged off his hand.

"He was a monster before he was ever turned. Darla liked to turn the real bastards. Angelus was her greatest find. You weep for that soul. It didn't do much for him until he found you, a new obsession. You're just the Drusilla du jour, pet." Spike stepped into her personal space bringing them nose-to-nose.

"It wasn't the same." She shook her head her blonde hair flying.

"Yes it bloody was. He saw you sucking on that damn lolly, and he wanted you. He didn't consider redemption until the notion of getting into your hot little quim stirred in his crazed mind." Spike crossed his arms across his chest.

"It wasn't like that. He loved me." Buffy flipped around and stomped away from him.

"Some demons can love, but Angelus isn't one of them. The soul can't give him a talent he never had. Let me guess he wooed you with a little gift, something personal, a piece of jewelry. Then every time you wear it, it feeds his feelings of ownership. I've watched him do it dozens of times. He wants to possess you not share himself with you. It only looks like love when you're young and stupid." He snagged a flower of a grave and threw it at her. It hit her square in the back, and she stopped.

Anticipation flooded through him as he watched her turn. Her anger was evident in every minute motion. "Shut up, Spike."

"Brilliant argument from the emotionally stunted." Spike smiled and laughed as she puffed up.

"Stop laughing at me." She stomped her foot and glared at him.

"Stop being stupid. You are a warrior. Be a bloody warrior. He hurt you. Hurt him back. They belittle you, tell them they have a short leash and then shake it for good measure." He mimed shaking the leash to emphasize his point.

Buffy launched herself at him so quickly; he barely managed to deflect her blow. She growled and circled around him forcing him to pivot on his heel to keep his eyes on her. It suddenly occurred to him that pissing Buffy off might not have been his best idea. He brought his hands up as she attacked him again, but her punches never landed. She swept his legs and jumped on him and held him down with one arm pressed to his sternum.

"You wanna fight the slayer? Well, here I am, and there is nothing you can do about it." Buffy punctuated each word by poking him in the chest.

Spike grinned and grabbed her hips before he flipped them over. He smirked at her. "Is that all you got? I know you can do better. I know what you want. Come on, Slayer, give it me good."

He pushed off her body and retreated a few steps as she popped back up. He watched as she dusted her bum and glared at him. "Waiting around isn't the smart move."

"I've never been known for my brains. William the Bloody here, doesn't lend itself to the deeply contemplative." Spike advanced two strides toward her and she met him with another series of quick punches. He drove her back with a shove from his booted foot.

Buffy let the motion take her as she grabbed his lapels, pulling him with her. She stepped back and spun and tossed him thirty feet across the graveyard. He landed and scrambled to his feet as she came running straight at him. He stood and caught her against his chest, letting her rain punches on him until he felt her start to sag. He held her to him and brushed her hair back from her face.

Her eyes glistened as the tears brimmed. "I don't have the right to be angry, Spike. I did this." She tilted her head against his chest, letting her hair fall around her face like a curtain.

"No, you're a victim of it. They're blaming you, but they're wrong. . Would you have slept with Angelus if you'd known about the curse?" He felt her shake her head against him. "Your watcher doesn't blame you. He's the smartest person you know, yeah?"

He kissed her tears and licked his lips and felt the flaming pain of his injuries fade away.

Buffy nodded. She reached up and twined her fingers into his hair. She tucked her head under his chin. "I'm sorry I hit you."

"I wanted you to fight. You need it. What you're designed to do, isn't it?" Spike pulled her even closer to his body. "I hoped we'd find something else to pummel, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices."

"I shouldn't hit you when I'm angry. It's one thing when we spar, but this was abusive." Buffy spoke so softly he could barely hear her even with his demon enhanced hearing.

"Stop it. We'll figure out how to be together as friends. I don't mind being your punching bag when you need it. I'm a vampire. We tend toward perversity. I like that you can dish it out. I don't want it to be how we hash out all things, but we are what we are. I think that means a certain amount of physical violence is probably par for the course." He smiled and pulled back to drop a kiss on the tip of her nose. She giggled.

"You've forgotten that this can be fun. It's about life and living. Things you are meant to do. Things I want to help you do."

Buffy wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. "I can't explain what's happening between us to the others. I don't know how. I'm not even sure I understand it."

"To be honest, luv, I'm at a loss myself. Giles is trying to figure it out. Once he can explain it the others might be a tad kinder." Spike laughed at Buffy's raised eyebrow. "So, it's unlikely. Let's get this patrol over and head home. I'd like to share some spaghetti with you."

Buffy was smiling up at him when her whole body stiffened. She hooked her leg behind his and toppled them to the ground. The cross bow's bolt sailed safely over their bodies, and Buffy sprang to her feet.

"Xander, you asshole." Buffy glared at him as he walked up with the cross bow trained on Spike. Spike reclined on the grass and raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"It was an accident, Buffy. I don't get the vampire thing, but right now we need him. Willow and Oz decided to make a run to her house for some book she forgot. They should have been back by now."

"Where are Giles and Cordelia?" Buffy asked as Spike stood up behind her.

"I wasn't going to tell either of them. Cordelia was pissed after dinner and went to sleep, and Giles is researching." Xander shook his head.

"And you're afraid of pissing them off." Buffy flashed a smile at him. "Well, let's go save the day."


	15. Chapter 15

Angelus smiled and watched Buffy's little red haired friend twist against the chains. The Saint Andrew's cross was finally being put to use. He looked at the cage his slayer would eventually call home. The werewolf growled at him from within it.

"Now, now. Dogs must have good manners if they want to continue breathing." Angelus walked over to the cage. "I imagine you two know where my property is. Help me and I'll let you leave here breathing."

Oz's growl grew louder, and he threw his body against the bars.

"It's too bad you to haven't fully mated yet. I'd love seeing how that empathetic bond holds up under torture. Dru, darling, which one should I play with first?"

Drusilla sat up and let his satin sheets slide down her body, and she looked at both of them. "She burns when he does and will scream so prettily, Daddy."

Angelus walked around the cage and rubbed his chin. He picked up the cattle prod from the table and slammed it into the boy through the bars. Oz convulsed and dropped to the ground insensate.

"Well, Willow, I'm feeling generous. I'm going to let you choose. Your virtue or his? I really don't need information from you. My property will find its way back here soon enough with you two as bait. So make a choice." Angelus walked over to the cross and ran his fingers gently along her face. Willow shut her eyes and turned her head away from his touch. "If you don't answer me it will be worse for both of you."

He smiled and stroked his hand along her body, watching her shrink away from him. Drusilla watched with a silly smile playing across her face.

"Daddy, may I take some minions and go hunt while you play?" She walked gracefully toward him, her nude body decorated in quickly healing marks. Willow's eyes widened in fear as she watched the two vampires kiss.

"Enjoy yourself, my dear." Angelus ran a hand along her face and she shoved her head into it like a cat. He grabbed her breast and twisted her nipple, eliciting a small gasp.

"I will, Daddy." She giggled and ran from the room.

"Well, I have all this time to play and two new playmates. How quickly do you think my property will get here?" He walked around the room, his long strides eating up the space. "I suppose I will have to clean out her crate."

Willow whimpered and strained against the chains as Angelus opened the cage and yanked Oz's limp body out. He tossed the boy onto the bed and watched the body bounce with a smile curving his lips.

"Wake up, Oz. Run." Willow screamed as she pulled against the chains.

Angelus raised an eyebrow and turned toward the little witch. "Much as I love the sound of your voice, I think we're going to gag you. I want to hear his screams, and we can't have you trying out any little bits of magic can we? I need some time to enjoy this, but I don't want you to feel left out."

Angelus walked over to the bed and ripped Oz's tee shirt from his body. He ran his hands along the pale and freckled skin and slid his hand down along one arm while grabbing the shackle attached to the bedpost. Angelus snapped the shackles onto the boy's wrists and then buried his hands in his thick red hair.

"He's pretty. Really, both of you are. This will be fun. So nice of Buffy to provide me with such wonderful pets."

Angelus slid his fingers across Oz's chest and down to his waist. He quickly pulled off Oz's jeans and underwear, leaving the young man sprawled naked and chained to the bed he stalked over to Willow and smiled as he rolled the colorful boxers into a tight ball and shoved them in her mouth.

"You deserve something to suck on. I want you to enjoy the show." Angelus took the remnants of the tee shirt and wrapped it around her neck before tying it in a knot that forced the underwear further into her throat. "Watch and learn because when I'm done making little wolf boy a man. I'm going to enjoy taking your first blood."

Angel watched her eyes widen and stepped back to enjoy the view. He looked over at the bed and grimaced. "He's still too out of it. I guess I'll play with you a bit first after all."

He picked up a knife and cut off her colorful sweater, her corduroy skirt and her knit stockings. H smiled at the plain white cotton bra and panties.

"You look so sweet, Willow. I love it. Not one bit of lace on your virginal underwear, not even a tiny pink rosette." He ran his fingers along her body and ripped the bra straps shoving it down to her waist.

"Do you want me to be gentle with you Willow?" He breathed against her ear as he pressed his clothed body against her prone one. She closed her eyes and shook as she nodded her head. "You're not strong like Buffy, not woman enough to take me the way she did, but I can make it nice for you. Would you like that, Willow?"

She nodded again and tears streamed from her eyes as she dropped her gaze to the floor. Her whole body was quaking as he pulled her modest undergarments free from her body.

"You've always wanted to be like Buffy, the one everyone wants, the powerful one. It must be hard to live in her shadow. You are lovely, but do they see it? Does Oz secretly long for Buffy? I'll bet he does. Xander, Oz, even Giles, they all want her; all see her, but never you. Isn't that right?" His voice was soft and his hands soothing as they stroked along her naked form. He lowered his lips to her pale pink nipple and licked in in a lazy circle while he unbuttoned his silk shirt and let it fall to the floor. Her nipples hardened and he smiled as he licked up along her body. "I'll give you a choice. I'll let you pick. I'll be gentle with you now. It will be wonderful and sweet. You'll cry it will be so perfect. You can have that, but there will be a cost. I won't tell you the price for my benevolence. You just have to agree to it. Or I can fuck you and get it over with quickly with no debt owed. Do you want the gentle treatment?"

Angel trailed his fingers along her sides waiting for the nod he knew was coming. He kissed her temple with the slightest press of his lips and slid one hand along her hip giving a gentle squeeze. He felt her every inhalation. Breaking her was going to be such fun. He trailed little kisses along her forehead and down to her eyes. He smiled when she nodded and he pulled back to remove the gag and to let her off the cross. She fell into his arms as he freed her from the chains. He steadied her and stroked her, letting a She stood shaking and naked before him her big eyes staring at him as he pulled her against him for a gentle kiss.

He picked her up and carried her to the bead where her boyfriend lay unconscious. He carefully pulled the blanket up over Oz and smoothed the satin comforter before he laid her on top of it at the foot of the bed. He watched her look over at Oz and cringe, but she held up her arms as he placed a knee on the bed.

"Sorry that you can't have the bed to yourself, but just look at me and think about how everything feels, about how I'm touching you. It will be okay." Angelus let his weight down onto her body slowly.

"Okay." Willow looked up at him and he leaned in and kissed her with a press of his lips against hers. He teased her lips open and slid his tongue into her mouth twirling his tongue inside until she brought hers into play.

He touched her with long gentle strokes as he continued the sweet onslaught at her mouth. Her body quickly responded and he smiled as he broke their kiss. He felt her quiver under his touch as he played with her nipples.

"Are you enjoying this?" At her quick nod he dropped his mouth to her nipples and slid one hand down to rest at the apex of her thighs. He let the weight of his hand rest there until he felt her hips buck up and he slid his fingers into her wet folds. He slid his fingers around her hooded treasure and then trailed them to her opening. He barely dipped his index finger in and then he stilled his hand pressing the heel of his palm against her clit. He needed her to do the work, needed her to make the choices. It would sting all the more when she couldn't claim to have been forced.

Willow whimpered as he laved her breasts with his tongue. She writhed beneath his body, but he held himself still making her follow his few movements. He sucked her pale nipple into his mouth and felt her hands reach up and thread through his hair. He sucked harder pulling her flesh into his mouth and grazing the sensitive skin with his blunt teeth. He let the image of Buffy's trembling body fill his mind. He swirled his tongue around Willow's nipple and thought of Buffy's tiny gasps and the strength she'd been unable to control. He pulled back and stared down at Willow's face. Her eyes were closed and her breath was escaping from her in tiny pants. He waited for her to open her eyes. Oz was slowly coming around. He could feel the moment coming together perfectly.

He slipped his finger into Willow and found the tiny little membrane that he would rend in moments. Willow's eyes popped open and she raised her hips up trying to find the release she was craving. He pulled his hand from her and arranged his body so that the head of his cock nestled at the opening of her dripping pussy. He ran his fingers through her hair rubbing the scent of her arousal around her face.

"Are you ready? I need you to tell me you want this Willow." Angelus plastered a concerned expression on his face and stroked his fingers along her face.

"Please, Angel." Willow whimpered and tried to raise her hips but he pulled back.

"No, Willow. I need you to say my name. I need to know its me you want." Angel smiled at her and let the image of her open and bleeding throat play through his mind.

"I want you, Angelus." Her voice quavered but she reached up and pulled his mouth down for a kiss as he slid his cock into her welcoming body. He caught her gasp in his mouth. He started to move letting her find his rhythm.

Oz struggled to a sitting position and fought his chains as Willow stroked Angelus with hesitant hands. Her moans filled the room as Angelus pulled his lips from hers and thrust into her.

Oz bit his lips, refusing to allow the scream of rage and pain escape. Angelus looked at him and raised a mocking eyebrow as Willow started to writhe and plead. He trailed his hands down her body and found her clit. He pressed his fingers on either side of it and rubbed until he felt her go over into her very first orgasm. His eyes never left Oz's face.

Angelus let himself go and pumped into her with long hard strokes and she screamed out with the power of her orgasm. He closed his eyes and thought of his property hanging from the chains her blood dripping down between her thighs coating his hand and he felt his own orgasm explode. He gathered Willow against him, enjoying her trembling.

"Oh, Angelus." She kissed his chest.

"Glad to be of service." Angelus slid from her and pressed his fingers up into her gathering their combined juices and the blood she'd shed. He smiled and rubbed this through her hair as well. He saw her eyes dart down to his glistening, bloody member. "You're a woman, now, little witch."

Willow looked up at him as he pulled back. She hadn't looked at Oz yet. Angelus smiled and turned her head toward her beloved wolf. He saw the tears fill her eyes and grinned. Oz was pressed against the headboard with his head turned away and his eyes closed tightly.

"It's time for you to pay the price." Angel whispered against her ear. "Go, make your wolf yours. I want to watch you use your womanhood. Enjoy your power."

"But, I just… with you." Willow turned her face to him.

"Yes, and it was fun, but you do this or I'll have to hurt him. I don't want to hurt him right now. I'm feeling fairly generous. I could just kill him." Angelus shrugged and started to move, but Willow's hand landed on his chest.

"I'll do it."


	16. Chapter 16

Buffy paced through Willow's room looking at the evidence of the battle. They hadn't been able to put up much of a fight. She felt her body start to quake. She had hoped to find them happily smooching, but now, she felt the pain lancing through her body as she thought about what Angelus had done to her, what he might be doing to them.

Spike grabbed her shoulders and rubbed his hands up and down her upper arms. It was comforting and bracing. She leaned back letting her body rest against his chest. She let her eyes close for a moment, trying to find her center.

"Buffy, what the hell are we supposed to do?" Xander shook the drawing Angel had left on Willow's bed. "What the hell is this?"

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at the drawing of her own limp body hanging from the chains and grimaced. "It's a reminder." She pulled away from Spike and wrapped her arms around her middle.

"He wants her panicked and scared." Spike shrugged. "Hell, he wants her back in those chains. He's using them for bait, I'm guessing. They didn't put up much of a fight. He must have brought enough minions to make escape impossible, so he left that to make Buffy weak. He wants her to relive it."

"What do you mean relive it?" Xander glared at Spike.

"That's part of what Buffy went through. I'm sure he has a whole series. He wants her thinking about the pain. He wants her to rush in without thinking in a panicked state. She's weaker then, easier to fight. He's lazy. He likes easy pickings and no risk." Spike shook his head and watched Xander pale. "He loves mind games."

"I had no idea he tied you up and beat you. Buffy, I'm sorry." Xander looked at her with such grief in his eyes that she laughed.

"I wish it had been just a beating." She turned her body around and looked at Spike. He came to her and she nestled into his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against the top of her head.

"It's alright, luv. You survived. We'll get Willow and Oz back. I'm rather fond of him. He's the only one of your friends that hasn't been insufferable. Don't worry. We'll get them back and then you can burn that little doodle of his." Spike pressed another kiss to her temple and felt her shudder as she pulled herself back from the pain.

Xander grabbed a bag and put the four books that were magic related in it. He looked around the room and tried to think of what else they might need.

"Grab some sweats and tees. I'm willing to bet they won't have clothes anymore." Buffy pointed at the closet as she took charge of Xander. Spike closed his eyes for a moment and Buffy felt his body tense.

"We don't have time for an elaborate plan. We get in and do a quick grab and dash. We've got to keep the goal in mind. Save Red and Oz. Keep the fighting to an absolute minimum." Spike pushed her back and stared into her eyes.

"We are going to need to do this fast. Did her parents leave a car before they headed off to do the whole Doctors Without Borders thing?" Buffy asked Xander as she pulled away from Spike's embrace.

"Yeah, there's a car out in the garage." Xander watched as Buffy picked up the stake from the carpet and stuffed it up her sleeve.

"Do you know where the keys are?" Buffy asked him and pulled out Willow's drawers and reached into the bottom of the dresser pulling out a tiny blue leather bound book. "She snagged it from Giles a couple of weeks ago. It's probably what she came after."

Spike watched her toss the book to Xander. She stood back up and looked around the room. "How did he get in?"

"She moved out. Her parents have run off. There's no one here to power the barrier. I felt a tingle when I passed through the door, but that's all. I should have thought to warn them about that." Spike stared at the ground feeling his gut twist again.

"You couldn't have known. No one can think of everything." Xander said. "You told us to stay in the houses and tunnels. You provided us a safe place to live, not a guarantee."

Buffy smiled at Xander as she rubbed Spike's shoulder. It wasn't a declaration of acceptance, but as a first step it was impressive. Buffy leaned her forehead against Spike's neck and drew a deep breath. His scent calmed her. She pulled back and surveyed the room again looking for anything she might have missed.

"He's had them for about an hour. He can do a fair bit of damage in that amount of time. Does Willow have a first aid kit?" Spike asked as he started to rummage through the drawers Buffy had left pulled out of the dresser.

"Under the bed." Buffy pulled the kit out. "We need to get moving. Xander's going to have to drive the car while you and I get in and grab them."

"If he's killed them we leave." Spike locked eyes with Buffy. "We can't afford this fight right now. Neither of us is really ready for it. We go in, save them if we can, and get the bloody fucking hell out. Are we on the same page?"

Buffy nodded. "I want to burn his mansion to the ground with his dust inside it, but I get what we have to do. I was thinking the same thing."

"We need to call Giles and let him know we'll be coming back with wounded if this works." Xander grimaced and looked into the bag trying to hide his discomfort. "I mean, I should have told him right away, but, well, I hate it when he looks at me like I'm a disappointment. He's been pretty pissed at us all since dinner. I didn't want to make it worse."

"Well, this is worse, but he'll be fine. I'll call." Buffy patted Xander on the back as she stepped out of the room. "Find the keys, so we can get going."

Spike and Xander trailed after her as she descended the stairs. She felt the rush terror as she took each step. "Xander, you give us ten minutes and then you leave. If we aren't out in ten, we won't be coming out at all."


	17. Chapter 17

Buffy crouched in the back of the car while Spike did a recon run. Xander leaned back and looked at her. She wasn't acting like her normal, confident self. He could see her agitation in her every action. She was barely holding on. He watched her rub her arms and suppress a shiver. Her eyes were glassy and her breathing was uneven. This was not good, not good at all.

"Are you okay, Buffster?"

"Doesn't matter. I can do this. I will get them out of there if it can be done." She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head side to side.

"What happened to you in there when he had you?" Xander asked her softly. "It wasn't just a fight was it?"

"No, there wasn't a fight at all. He hired some humans to drug me and had me chained before I came around. Angelus doesn't live for the fight. He doesn't even like to fight. He can throw down, don't get me wrong, but he gets his jollies in other ways." She shuddered and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Xander watched her shudder at the thought.

"No. I'm not ready to talk about it with anyone. Spike and Giles know what happened, but I'm not ready."

"Okay, I mean if you need me." Xander shrugged.

"Xan, I need you all the time. You are one of my best friends. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I never forget that."

"I'm sorry. I've been kind of a dick about everything since Deadboy went evil. I was scared and, well, jealous. I wanted you to see me, but I've never even been a blip on your radar." He shook his head. "Wow, that makes me sound like a douche."

"No, I love you, just not like that."

"Yeah, you've made that pretty clear. I mean moving us all in with Spike and you sleeping with him. I get it."

"What do you get, Xander? He saved me. Angelus wasn't going to kill me quickly. Pike got me out of there and now I scream at night if I can't smell him. We aren't fucking." He winced as much at her harsh tone as her rough words. "I've kissed him. It was nice. Really nice and I'd like to do more, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to let anyone touch me again after what Angelus did."

"Buffy, I'm sorry. It's just I guess I don't get it. I want you to be happy though. If Spike helps you sleep at night and keeps us all alive, I'll learn to tolerate him. I won't like him, but I will play nice."

Xander watched as she shifted uncomfortably. She wrapped her arms tighter around her body, and he could hear her teeth gritting against each other. He closed his eyes and tried to figure out what to say.

"It's okay, Xander. I don't expect things to be perfect. I'm a slayer. It isn't going to end with a white picket fence unless I'm skewered on one by my first love. I've figured that out. Destiny sucks."

"Yeah," Xander watched her loosen her arms and square her shoulders. "I wish it could be easier though."

"I've got it better than most. Giles is the best watcher ever and I have a real life with friends and everything." She reached over the seat and squeezed his shoulder gently.

Spike opened the back door and slid in next to Buffy closing the door quietly. He hugged her with one arm as she curled herself into his side. Xander watched as the vampire gently stroked her hair back and looked down into her eyes. It bothered him to watch her with another animated corpse, but he kept his mouth shut for once. Buffy needed him to understand.

"He's in there with the two of them alone. I don't think we'll get a better window. I smelled about nine new minions, but they left with Dru maybe half an hour to an hour ago. I could hear two hearts beating. I could hear some conflict, but he's playing with them right now. Waiting for us. From the sounds I'd say Oz would be in bad shape."

Buffy nodded stiffly and grabbed his hand. "What's the best way in?"

"Through the front door. Quick in and quick out." Spike turned and grabbed the door to let them out.

"Wait," Xander said. "Maybe I should go with you. If it's only Angel in there, I might be able to help."

"Not Angel, mate, Angelus, there's a bit of difference though not as much as either monickered menace would like you to believe." Spike looked at him and shrugged.

"If we had another driver I'd take you in a minute, but, Xander, this sounds like a trap. We are going to need you out here if we have any hope of saving them." Buffy looked at him with a steady, determined gaze. "Ten minutes, Xander, fifteen at the most. We are in and out, or we're dead. You get back to the house and tell Giles to get you all to safety."

"You should be able to see us go in from here. Start your count then. We'll be coming back." Spike also met his gaze steadily. "I'll get them all out in the best shape I can."

Xander watched as they slid out the back door and disappeared into the night. He wished he'd stopped Willow and Oz. Now he was going to have three friends carrying around way more baggage than he could imagine. Buffy was stronger than anyone. If she was broken, Willow and Oz were going to need serious help. Hell, Buffy had stayed in bed for a while. They could be laid up for months.

"What the hell are we going to do?" His voice sounded really loud in the empty car. He trained his eyes on the front door of the mansion waiting to see Buffy and Spike charge to the rescue. He saw Buffy and Spike glance in his direction as they moved in unison through the double doors. He stared at the clock and started to pray.


	18. Chapter 18

Angelus sprawled in one of the large leather chairs he had put into the room. He grabbed the decanter of brandy on the table between them and poured himself a drink. He didn't bother to redress. He wanted the wolf to see his beloved's virgin blood smeared on his cock. He wanted the scents of their rut sharp in the boy's nose. Sometimes torture was nuanced.

He looked at Willow as she sat where he had left her. He smiled and took a sip of his drink. Shock would set in if he didn't keep her moving.

"Willow, pull the blankets off of him. It's no fun if I can't watch." He loved watching her skin flash red as she blushed.

Oz growled at her, low and threatening. "Don't do this, Willow. Please don't do this."

She dragged the blankets off of his naked body. He was pale and freckled like she was and she reached out to touch his leg but he jerked from her questing fingers pulling his body from as far away from her as his chains would allow.

"He's going to kill you if I don't do it. I can't let that happen." Willow's jaw hardened and Oz shut his eyes.

"You just had sex with him in front of me. I'd rather he did kill me." Oz whispered.

"No need to whisper. I have very good hearing. It serves no purpose. I'll happily kill you if that's what you prefer." Angelus swirled the brandy around in the large bowl of the snifter.

"I'll make it work." Willow turned and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Tell me what to do."

"Well, he's flaccid, so you'll have to excite him. Normally it wouldn't take much, but he's understandably upset. Suck it until it gets hard then you'll have to straddle him and slide it in. You're woman enough for the task." Angelus smiled as she blushed and looked away demurely at his assessment.

"I've never done those things." Willow said quietly.

"Well, there is a first time for everything." Angelus smiled at her as her eyes darted back to his. "Get to work. Make that boy a man or I'll make him a corpse."

"Willow, why are you listening to him? He killed Miss Calendar. He's tortured us all. Hell, Buffy couldn't walk after their last confrontation." Oz glared at her as she slid toward him on the bed. "Don't do this."

Willow ignored him and looked to Angelus. He nodded encouragingly and smiled as she kept eye contact with him as her mouth closed around Oz's manhood. He nodded his approval and she started to suck in earnest. The little witch had always admired him. The soul had ignored the gentle scent of her arousal, completely devoted to its true love. He felt the revulsion rise at the tender memories of Buffy.

Making Willow his creature was proving to be easier than he had imagined. Her insecurities and foibles had been all too easy to prey upon. He had hoped for more of a challenge, but Buffy would suffer when her still human friend serviced him with abandon while she hung in chains. He closed his eyes and savored the image. He heard Willow start to cry and opened his eyes.

"Touch him. Run your hands all over his body. Cup his balls gently." Angelus directed her and watched as she quickly complied. He took a sip of his drink. Watching his latest victim destroy something precious was titillating. He felt his own member begin to swell. "We are going to have so much fun."

Willow stopped bobbing her head and squeezed Oz in her hand. He groaned and tried to twist away from her. She grabbed his face with her other hand and said some words in Latin. Oz's eyes went wide as his body went still.

"What are you doing? Willow, you have to stop this. I don't want it, not like this. Never like this. Please stop." Oz pleaded with her as she pulled his body around and started to play with him again. "You could have used magic on him, but you're using it to rape me instead. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It won't work on him. He's dead. And I am doing this to save you. It isn't so bad, and it keeps us alive. As long as we amuse him we get to live." Willow looked deep into Oz's eyes as she straddled his hips. "I'm sorry."

Angelus grinned as he watched her sink down on the paralyzed wolf's erection. "He needs to be able to move. This is boring." Willow looked at him with panic in her eyes. "I want to see him struggle against you. I want the battle. If you can't give me that it would be better if I just killed him now."

Willow closed her eyes and tears slid down her face as she reversed the spell and Oz bucked underneath her trying to dislodge her. She tightened her thighs and let his struggles aid her. "Forgive me," she begged Oz, but he was beyond hearing her as the wolf within him started to break free. She watched as his hair grew longer and his body changed slightly. Claws gouged her hips and his face elongated strangely as his teeth changed.

Angelus laughed as the wolf howled and flipped Willow beneath it. The werewolf rammed into her and sank its fangs into her shoulder as it claimed its mate. Magic swirled around the pair before Oz transformed back into a young man. He pulled out of Willow and lurched away from her as far as his chains allowed. Willow tried to cuddle with him and gasped as pain burned through her body.

"I would imagine the idea of your touch revolts your mate at the moment my dear. Don't worry. He will never be willingly unfaithful to you. He might even forgive you some day." Angelus stood and approached the bed. "Come away from him. Let him recover a bit. You really are magnificent."

She looked up at him with watery eyes and he held out his arms. She rushed into them and sobbed against his chest. "Angel, why?"

"I'm not Angel. You'd do best to remember that. I am not your best friend's boyfriend that you lusted after. You wanted me. You made it easy, giving yourself up to me like that. At least Buffy loved me, you just wanted to prove you're as good as Buffy." He shoved her back against the Saint Andrew's cross and chained her to it while he hummed.

She dangled listlessly in the chains as he stepped back. Her red hair falling forward as she hung her head. He wrapped his hand in her silky red hair and wrenched her head back. He kissed her brutally and laughed when tears streamed from her tightly closed eyes. He reached out and grabbed her nipple twisting until a cry broke from her lips.

"I should thank you really. You've provided me with a new toy. Let's see if you enjoy it as much as I will." Angelus smiled and laughed as he let her slump back as much as the chains would allow. He strode toward the bed and started to whistle.

He knelt on the bed and smiled when Oz snarled at him. He grabbed Oz by the hips and flipped him face down making his arms cross painfully beneath his chest. Angelus stroked the young wolf's trembling flank. Angelus leaned down laying his chest along the smaller man's back. He nipped his ear with his blunt teeth. Oz bucked against him.

"You are having a really bad day. Glad you still have some fight in you. Makes it more interesting." Angelus whistled as he heard Willow start to moan. "You can be as silent as you like, your mate will let me know exactly how you feel."

Angelus shifted his hold on Oz and rubbed his cock in the cleft of the wolf's ass. He whistled as he lined his cock up and slammed into Oz without any warning. Oz bit his lip to keep from screaming, but Willow's cries reverberated throughout the room.

"Ah, music to my ears." Angelus smiled as he began to thrust.


	19. Chapter 19

Buffy heard Willow start to scream and shivers ran through her. Pain flared deep within her body. She paused and felt Spike stop in front of her. He looked back and raised one eyebrow.

"Need me to do this alone?" His voice was calm and accepting.

"I will not send you on a suicide mission." Buffy whispered and set her shoulders.

"I'm not being sent. I'm offering to go." He turned and ran a single finger along her cheek. They locked eyes and stood frozen, transfixed.

"I won't let him keep you. I'll keep my vow." Spike never looked away from her steady gaze.

Buffy fought the urge to kiss him. She leaned her head against his chest and let one tear fall hidden from his view.

"Getting them out is more important. If it comes down to saving me or getting them out, you save them. I am the slayer. One falls and another is called."

Spike opened his mouth to argue with her, but she placed a finger against his lips. Her eyes narrowed as she turned toward the noise and cringed. Willow's screams were loud and her begging was horrible to hear. Buffy looked up the stairs scanning for a trap.

"He's the only vamp here at the moment. He's a complete bloody idiot. We can save them. I promise you we'll get them out of here." Spike grabbed her hand and squeezed.

Buffy gulped and ran up the stairs still clutching his hand. He kept pace with her and they released each other as they kicked open the double doors to the master suite.

Buffy saw Angelus' naked form thrusting into Oz and wanted to vomit, but she managed to force her body to act. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him off of Oz in a single movement. He turned and grinned making no move to cover himself.

"I knew you'd come back, lover. Don't be mad. I needed some toys to pass the time." Angelus sneered. "Their charms weren't as rewarding as yours, but one makes do."

Buffy froze again as she looked at his body. There was blood on him and she wanted to close her eyes against the pain that raced through her memory.

"Leave off. The girl isn't going to fall into your clutches so easily." Spike broke the final chain holding Willow and let her slump to the ground before he turned to face Angelus. Buffy heard Spike's voice and her equilibrium returned.

"I can speak for myself, but I think I'm done with words." Buffy lunged and drove a stake into Angelus' shoulder and pinned him to the wall behind them. She pulled the small silver dagger from her boot and slid it along his chest until it rested above his heart.

"You missed my heart with the wood and silver won't kill me. Did you forget, mo ghrá?" Angelus practically purred against her ear.

"Don't call me that." She plunged the dagger into him and dragged it through his gut. She watched his eyes widen as the splash of blood hit her hand. A strange pain charged though her and she wanted to cry.

"You are more my beloved in this moment than ever before." Angelus kissed her cheek and then rubbed his face against her hair. She shivered and took several deep breaths.

"Buffy, I can't carry them both and we need to get moving. Dru is coming back. She's close. I can sense her." Spike watched as Buffy wrenched the blade free and swung away from Angelus. Their eyes locked and he saw the fear that was taking hold in her again. He nodded to Oz who was clinging to a bedpost, trying to stand and hold a sheet wrapped around his body. "He'll never make it on his own."

She ran to them and picked up Oz in a fireman's carry. "I am sorry. I know this hurts, but we have got to get you away." Buffy apologized as she followed Spike toward the still open doors.

"Buffy, are you really going to leave me here alone?" Angelus pouted as he pressed his weight against the stake trying to free it from the wall. "I won't play nice next time, beloved or not."

She didn't look back as she fled through the doors. His growls and curses filled the air as they made their way down the stairs. Oz grunted as she came to a quick stop behind Spike. He cradled Willow in his arms and looked back at Buffy.

"Dru's out front with about five minions. She's carrying on about the damn pixies. We are going to have to go out the back way."

Buffy nodded as she shifted Oz slightly on her shoulder. He whimpered and she cringed. Spike turned away from the doors and headed toward the back of the house. He paused before stepping into the room where his existence had changed so radically and cursed under his breath as he heard Buffy's breathing change. He turned around and found her staring at the chains. Oz moaned and Buffy closed her eyes.

"We have no time for this, Buffy. They are important. We came here for them. Are you going to let them die because of some chains?" Spike watched her shake her head and turn toward him. "Keep your eyes on me. Getting out of here is all about timing now."

Buffy shuddered, but she carefully nodded her head. "I'm walking out this time. That's an improvement."

They were across the room in a flurry of rapid movement. Spike led her through the garden to the side gate, which was standing open. They stayed in the shadows as Drusilla suddenly rushed into the house with the minions chasing after her.

They managed to get their cargo to the car without drawing any notice. Xander breathed a sigh of relief as Spike set Willow in the front seat and buckled her in. She curled into herself and sobbed as Buffy and Spike carefully arranged Oz across their laps in back.

"Get us to a drive through car wash and take us through. Then you find another one. It would be better if they are spaced out a bit through the town. We are going to have to hit four or five before we head home." Spike moved the werewolf carefully across his lap, so that Buffy cuddled him against her.

"You have got to be kidding me. He's bleeding. She's a mess. We have got to get them home." Xander exploded.

"We can do that if you want to defend our homes the whole night, and find new ones if we survive." Spike snarled.

"Do it, Xander." Buffy said quietly before turning and locking eyes with Spike. "We don't have a choice. I'm in no shape to hold off an attack tonight."


	20. Chapter 20

Giles watched as Buffy carefully bathed Oz. Her hands moved softly and carefully over the scratch marks Angelus had gouged into his back. His breath came in labored pants, but he held his body still for her ministrations. She dropped the washcloth into the bowl and reached for the antibiotic ointment.

"She's his alpha. He trusts her not to hurt him." Spike shrugged. "Werewolves have very defined social parameters. Why I never got on with any of them."

"What happened to them?" Giles asked nodding his head toward Oz and Buffy.

"Not my place to carry tales." Spike looked down the hall as Willow arrived with Xander and Cordelia in tow. He rolled his eyes and bit back the less kind comments that flew through his mind. Buffy's little troop had taken quite a beating and he didn't want to aggravate the situation further for her.

Willow came into the room and Oz wrenched himself up from the bed with a growl. "Get the fuck out of my room."

"You need help. I'm here to help." Willow clenched her fists at her sides. "Let me help you."

"No. Willow, you have to go. I'm asking you to listen now since you didn't earlier." Oz pulled the sheet tightly around his body. He was shaking with the effort. Buffy soothed him with one steady hand.

"Buffy, make her leave." Oz looked up at Buffy and she nodded. His agony was clear. He wouldn't look at Willow.

Buffy calmly approached Willow and shook her head. "Give him some time, Wil. You need to let him be. He doesn't want you here. I haven't asked you to explain anything yet, and he hasn't told me much, but you need to give him some serious space."

"No. Buffy, he needs me." Willow fell to her knees forcing Buffy to lift her and carry her to Giles and Xander.

"I'm sorry, Willow, so sorry. He needs space and care. I think he needs some time. When he's ready, he'll let you know." Buffy pushed her into their arms and grimaced as Willow fell apart. The sounds of her sobs tore through Buffy, but she needed to finish taking care of Oz.

"Listen to me, Willow. You are both alive, so there will be healing. Your young man needs time. You need to be strong for him." Giles wiped the tears from her face. "You need to give him what he needs."

"You mean I need to let Buffy give him what he needs because she gets everything. I'm his mate, not her. She can't have Oz. He's mine." Willow broke free from Giles and ran into the room again skidding to a halt as Oz's back came into view. The gouge marks were hideous.

Buffy rapped the bandage around Oz's arm and felt him tense again. "Willow, please. This isn't hard enough for him? Can't you respect his wishes?"

"I'm not letting you steal him from me. You get them all. Every man that comes anywhere near you winds up orbiting around you like you're the sun, but Oz is mine." Willow's voice broke as she crumpled to the floor.

Spike watched as Buffy started to shake. "Bloody, buggering, hell." He ran a hand through his hair and strode into the room.

"Buffy is doing what's needed because all of you belong to her. She went into that hell because she loves your useless, jealous hide. She went back there to save you. If you had listened to me and followed the rules we would all be having a nice night. Buffy pulls everyone in because she's valiant and kind. She is good and fierce." Spike looked into Willow's eyes. "You're a sweet girl and she'd move heaven and earth to change what happened to you if she could. Let her do what needs doing. Let her take care of both of you for a bit."

Spike gently wrapped an arm around Willow and led her from the room. He pushed her toward Xander and Cordelia gently. Giles put a hand on his shoulder and let it rest there. The man and the vampire stood and watched the three teens hug for a long while.

"Giles, I need your advice. Spike, you too." Buffy called from the room. She stepped to the doorway. "The drugs have kicked in and he's out, but how do I treat his," Buffy gulped. "Injuries." Buffy swung her arm toward the bed. A blush flared across her face and a single tear started its trek down her cheek.

Giles looked into the room and felt helpless. Buffy had handled this evening with a maturity he hadn't believed. His heart wrenched as his gaze fastened onto the tortured form of young Oz.

"I'll handle it from here, pet. Not new to me." Buffy sagged with exhaustion and leaned against the doorframe. Spike trailed his fingers along her cheek and felt her starting to quake. "Watcher, get a soda in her or something to help with the shock. Some food."

Spike moved into the room and gently pushed Buffy into her watcher's arms. She stumbled in the doorway and he steadied her with his grip on her elbow. Giles hugged her and looked over her shoulder and nodded at Spike.

Giles pulled his slayer toward the kitchen and sat her at the table before he pulled out the box of doughnuts and poured her a cola. She looked so fragile now shivering and hunching her shoulders in. His heart twisted as he thought of the horrors she had faced to save her friends.

"She fucked Angel. He didn't rape her. She let him have her. Then she raped Oz. How does that happen? How does he get victims to torture themselves?" Buffy's voice was shaking and barely audible.

"He's had a lot of experience torturing and raping. He didn't use physical force but it was rape. Willow didn't want that, but I'm sure she'll doubt herself and feel guilty. You'll have to help her."

"He would have turned Willow into something worse than Drusilla. I don't know what he'd have done to Oz. He so horrible. I should have just dusted him. I need to plunge and move on. Every last one of you should hate me." Buffy pushed her doughnut away untouched.

"Buffy, I 'm so sorry." Giles sat in the chair next to her and rubbed her back slowly. It was time for him to carry the can and be there for her. He stiffened as she crawled into his lap and curled up against his chest, but then he started stroking her hair and rocking slightly. "I wish I could protect you from all of it. This isn't your fault."

"I'm the slayer, Giles." Buffy mumbled.

"Changes nothing, my dear. I fought against this destiny for many years, but I am so happy to have lost. You are my slayer. I love you." He leaned his head on the top of hers as she finally broke into tears.


	21. Chapter 21

Spike walked up the stairs to their bedroom and collapsed in one of club chairs. Buffy was curled up in their bed, and he couldn't even bring himself to join her, to enjoy the warmth of sharing a bed with her very human body. He had talked with the boy for hours until both their voices ran gruff with fatigue. He hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. Regrets had never been much of a problem for him, but here he was living with humans, worrying about keeping them alive.

He brought his eyes up to look at her. She was so delicate; her breathing was soft and regular in slumber. She had saved him, given him her last bit of strength. Given him freedom from Angelus and he couldn't do the same. Angelus was hunting them. He felt the shudder run through him. The Slayer slept curled in his bed, secure under his roof. She trusted him. He thought of the richness of her blood, the sweet seduction of her heartbeat, and he knew he was lost. These humans were all under his protection because they belonged to her. He would find a way to protect them or, more likely, die fighting beside her to do so. He flopped back in the chair and stared at the beams above him.

"Mom'll be here tomorrow. Giles and I will pick her up, but it isn't going to be easy to convince her that any of this is necessary. Last time I tried to tell her I wound up in a psychiatric hospital." Buffy sat up and patted the bed next to her. "You need to get some sleep. She's gonna make the rest of us look like no problem at all."

Spike watched her hand rubbing the bed beside her. He craved her warmth, the feel of her soft breath against his cool skin. He thought of the pajama pants he'd worn every night, folded and waiting for him. He thought of what he'd been reliving as he cared for her wolf. He thought about forcing the issue, but shied away from it.

"I need you tonight," he choked out the words. "I want to feel your skin on mine. I want to wrap myself in the warmth of you. Is that okay?"

"Come to bed." She pulled the blankets back and opened her arms.

Spike stripped his clothes from his body and crawled into bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around him rubbing his back in long strokes. He snagged the blankets and pulled them up over their entwined bodies and locked in her body heat. He rested his head on the cotton of her tank top while she ran her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes against the memories that this night had brought back so strongly.

"He hurt you." Her voice was steady and soft. It wasn't a question. He nodded against her chest. She kissed his head. "You've been so strong for all of us. It's okay to let your guard down here, with me."

Spike shuddered and her arms wrapped around his body as he collapsed against her, his body convulsing with sobs. He felt fingers tighten against his back, pulling him even closer.

"You are a loyal and loving person." Her lips pressed against his ear as she spoke.

"I'm not a person, luv. I'm a monster."

She pushed him down onto the bed and crawled on top of him. Her elbows pressed his shoulders down as she brought her fingers gently to his face. She rubbed his nose with the tip of hers.

"They never gave you real kindness or real love, and you deserve it. You could have killed me and run away. Hell, you could have left me almost dead and they would have still had their fun. You saved me, and not just once. You save me and mine every night." She took a deep breath. "I don't know why you're different, but I see that you are. I see you."

He closed his eyes as her tears began to fall on his face mingling with his own. He gathered her closer to his body as she clutched at him. He pressed his lips to her temple and felt the beat of her pulse under her delicate skin. The warmth of her soaked into him, not the fleeting warmth left after a feeding. No, she warmed him like the sun warmed the living.

"I don't know what I am anymore. I'm a monster and a man, maybe. I never cared about defining myself before, but whatever I am, whatever I'm becoming, I am yours." He pledged himself to her as she wrapped herself around his naked body. Their tears smeared across their faces as they brought their lips together.

Her lips pressed against his, crushing his mouth open. He relaxed in her embrace and welcomed her tongue into his mouth with a playful nip. She gasped and pulled back with a giggle.

"Change." She stared at him with a small grin. "Let me see your demon."

"No, luv. There's no need." He rubbed his thumb across her pouty lip.

"I know I'm doing this with you, all of you. I don't want you to pretend with me. Now, let me see the demon." She ran her fingers up his arms and squeezed her thighs against his torso.

He watched her for a moment. "It's one thing to kiss a man knowing the demon is there. It's another to welcome the demon to your bed. I don't expect that of you. I know you accept me."

She pulled her hands up to her hips and sat staring at him arms akimbo. The silence stretched between them. She cocked her head and smiled at him. "I come to your bed each night and you do nothing to me but keep my nightmares away. Let me take yours away. Show me the demon. Be naked with me." She pulled her tank top off and flung it to the floor.

He grabbed her hands before she could remove anymore. "You don't fight fair, luv." He looked at her and let his demon come to the fore.

"Of course not, I'm the slayer." She ran her fingertips up his chest, trailing her nails along his throat until her eyes and her fingers rested on his face.

He heard her heart rate increase as she stared at him. She traced his changed features gently. Then she leaned down and kissed his forehead. She pushed back up meeting his amber gaze steadily.

"You are beautiful like this, too. I can see it, like a lion or a tiger, maybe. All predator, all mine, you are my Spike no matter what you look like." She dropped her head to his and kissed his fanged mouth, her tongue dipping carefully into his mouth and tracing along his fangs.

He waited for the blood lust to rise, waited for the aggression that usually came with this face to surface, but it didn't. He pushed her back and looked up into her lovely face. She smiled at him and he tilted his head to the side. A deep draw on the air around him flooded his senses with her combined scents. There was no fear, no trace of it. He grinned up at her and shook off his demon face.

"I'm glad you don't mind my other face, Buffy, but tonight I want to be more the man than the monster." He ran his hands along her torso and rested them below her breasts.

Buffy smiled and used her legs to flip them over. She grinned up at him as his body settled between her legs and pushed her shorts up her thighs. Her hair fanned out around her head and he dropped his head and kissed her sweetly before pulling away.

"You're a demon, I'm the slayer. Tonight, you are my man and I am your girl, okay?" She ran her fingers through his hair and he turned his cheek into her hand like a cat.

"You're my girl." He let his body rest atop hers and kissed deeply. The beat of her heart, the catch of her breath became his world. He trailed his lips across her face to her ear. "Mine."

She groaned as his lips slid down her neck. He smiled as her heart rate picked up again but there was still no scent of fear. He licked her neck tracing her frantic pulse with his tongue. She hummed deep in her throat and pressed her body up to his.

He stroked his hands up and down her body, dipping his fingers beneath the elastic of her shorts and then sliding them up to press the undersides of her breasts. He relished her moan of disappointment as he slid his body to the side. His eyes flashed golden as he trailed his tongue along her collarbone.

"Looks like the demon side needs to play, too." She grinned down at him. "I didn't know you could do that."

"What, luv?" He looked up at her and noticed the difference in her appearance.

"You can change just the eyes, I didn't know that vampires could do that." She smiled and touched his face with her fingertips. He turned and sucked her fingers into his mouth for a moment before he let them slide from his mouth.

"I've never done it before, don't quite know how I did."

"Figure it out later, okay?" She smiled and bucked at him with her hips.

"Yes, Min kærlighed." He dropped his mouth to her nipple and swirled his tongue around it, dragging his blunt teeth over it and enjoying the hitch in her jagged breathing each time. He bit it gently and she writhed next to him. He leaned back and watched as she gasped for breath.

"What did you say?" She panted.

"Just a bit of Danish."

"You speak Danish? I thought that was a breakfast food." She rolled toward him bringing her other breast closer to him.

"I speak in a lot of tongues, luv." He dropped his head and flattened his tongue along the skin above her breasts.

"I like that one." She panted.

"Good to know." He swirled his tongue around the other nipple and nibbled at it as he slid his hands down to rest above her shorts. He rested his forehead against her heaving chest letting her frenzy die down a bit. "Meu amor, mere jan, meine liebe, janem, kultaseni, mon amor, habibi."

Buffy erupted in giggles and he slid up and reclaimed her mouth. He slid her shorts and panties down as their lips fused. Buffy wiggled helping him free her of her clothing. He trailed his fingers along her bare hip, drawing circles with his fingertips. He broke their kiss and closed his golden eyes. Several deep breaths later he opened his eyes and met her gaze with his cerulean one.

"You can use those nonsense sounds anytime you want as long as you keep making me feel like this." Buffy smiled and quickly kissed the tip of his nose.

"Sweeting, look at me." He waited until her eyes locked with his once more. "I'm yours. I want to make you happy. I don't want to rush this. If you want to stop, tell me. I promise I'll stop."

"What if you want to stop and I don't want to?"

"Not gonna happen, luv." Spike slid down her body again, spreading kisses as he went. He dipped his tongue into her belly button and smiled at her brief giggle. Her skin was so warm, even slick with sweat she radiated heat. He sighed and rested his head on her stomach. He could smell her arousal; smell her blood pumping furiously through her body. Her fingers played through his hair as they both lay mostly still.

"Spike, I'm scared not to do this. I know I'm young, and I probably seem foolish to you, but I need to know it won't always hurt. I need to break up the scar tissue." He closed his eyes as her words hit him like a freshly carved stake. He was a tool again, a belonging. He tensed and she pressed his head into her stomach lightly. "Let me finish. I need to do this now because I know we might not have a tomorrow. We're in a war. I don't have the luxury of time. I can't take this slow and hold your hand, kiss you goodnight. I can't court and be courted. Women can court right?"

He raised his head and stare into her eyes. "In this day and age."

"You deserve the nonbroken me. I want to give you all of me, but I'm broken so we'll have to put them back together, well, together. Okay?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm a slayer. I'm a woman, a girl. Hell, I don't know. Whatever I am, from here on out it's all for you. I don't have long. Please stay with me for the time I've got. I can't do this without you anymore." Her voice broke and she let her head fall back on the pillow.

Spike slid up her body and stared down into her eyes. "I belonged to Dru for one hundred and twenty years. She never really loved me. I was a pet. In the short time I've been yours, I have found my place, I've remembered the man. I'm loyal and determined. Our time may be shorter than I want. I want forever, but I will settle for what fate allows after I arm-wrestle her a bit. Now, can we put away the maudlin, weepy stuff and get back to the heart racin', body poundin' fun part?"

Buffy surged up into his arms and kissed him all over his face. He gathered her close and bathed in her warmth. He let her body down slowly onto the pillow again and licked her lips. Their eyes met and held. She tried to pull him closer into the cradle of her thighs and he looked down at their bodies.

"I'm gonna do this right. So, stop rushin' me, ya daft bint." He smiled at her and dropped a quick kiss to her lips before sliding down her body once more. She drew a ragged breath as he pressed a kiss to her dark curls.

He felt her tense as he shifted her thighs apart and shushed her protest before it could leave her lips. He smiled knowing he'd be the first to do this for her, the first to taste her. He kissed her inner thigh and traced the pumping draw of her femoral artery with his tongue. Her breathing quickened. The salt of her sweat on his tongue, the scent of her desire in his nose, and the catch in her breath became his world as he played with her. His lips, his tongue, his fingers all swirled as she writhed beneath him, but he didn't touch her center. He waited for the moment and finally her legs spread a bit wider and he dipped his tongue into her.

Buffy jolted, her whole body electrified and centered on his very wicked tongue. She clawed at the bed beside her as he delved deeper into her with his tongue.

"Oh, God, your magic tongue." She breathed out as he applied suction in just the right places.

"Pretty sure he's got nothing to do with it, luv." Spike said as he broke away from her. She moaned at the loss of his precious lips and tongue. "Now, for the really good part."

Spike kissed the pounding pulse in her neck and then he pressed up on his arms, surveying his handiwork. She lay limp, gulping air and he grinned. "You're my personal sun, luv, and I'm gonna make you go super nova."

"I'm your sun?" Buffy said as she sighed. He lowered himself again and nuzzled along her jaw until he could nibble on the delicate lobe of her ear.

"You make me warm," he murmured. "Make me feel, give me that little bit of something that's living and not dying."

He brought his lips to hers and she kissed him voraciously with teeth and tongue. He shared the taste of her womanhood with her and smiled as she licked at his face. He waited until she stopped and lowered his forehead to hers. Her eyes were glassy and big as saucers as he slowly pressed into her. He listened for every gulp and swallow, every hitch in her breath. Pausing when she needed adjust, he held her eyes with his until he was sheathed entirely in her warmth.

He closed his eyes and tossed back his head as he slowly pulled back, relishing the feel of her muscles clenching at him. Her hands found their way to the smooth skin of his back and she caressed him as he set a slow, steady pace. He reveled in her gentle touch. Each little mew, every slide of her legs as she moved added to the pleasure for him. He returned his mouth to hers and lost himself in the essence of her.

Buffy sucked on his tongue and relished the feel of his perfect body under her hands. She rocked her hips to meet his every thrust. Every sensation was magnified as he held his pace. There was some kind of pressure building inside her. She broke her mouth away from his to pant and he chuckled against her ear.

"Evil vampire," she grinned up at him and slid her hands down to his ass. "Are you trying to melt me from the inside?"

"Just enjoying your heat." He locked eyes with her and felt her hands urging him faster. "I'm yours, Buffy. Whatever I am, I am yours."

Their lips fused and he started to take them higher, thrusting faster and harder until she had to break from his mouth to breathe. He watched her thrash and flail, felt her body clasp at him until she arched off the bed following his withdrawing hips with her own. She looked frightened and her hands clenched at him.

'It's okay, luv. Let it happen." He kissed her neck and listened to her delightful cries as she exploded. He grit his teeth and held still deep within her as her body clenched down on his. She moaned and twisted under him, lost in the waves of pleasure. He felt the tremors begin to wane and resumed thrusting, letting himself go.

She screamed as she exploded around him and it triggered his own release. Her arms grabbed him and pulled him down hard, crushing him to her chest. He kissed her temple and licked at her sweat as she squeezed him tighter.

"Shh, luv, relax and let me move a bit, yeah?" He smiled as she loosened her grip and turned her wide shocked eyes to his. He kissed the tip of her nose and thrust in her once more. She closed her eyes and shivered. "Just the aftershocks baby, ride 'em out."

She groaned a low visceral sound and let her body relax. He slid out of her and flipped them over letting her sprawl across him. He felt her lips press against his chest and smiled. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her up for a gentle and thorough kiss. She kissed him lazily for some time until she broke free of his lips and tucked her head under his chin once more.

"You're mine." She mumbled as he pulled the blankets up over them again. "So happy you're mine."


	22. Chapter 22

Spike woke up with the sound of a heartbeat ringing in his ears. He opened his eyes and realized the sound came from Buffy. He ran his fingers through her hair, loving the slide of it on his skin. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady rhythm of her heart. He felt warm and languid even though she had pinned him to the bed and fallen asleep astride his body. Her body heat was a gift to him, the illusion of life.

He wanted to stay like this forever. He was beneath her and he reveled in it. She didn't make him beg for crumbs, not his glorious girl. She gave of herself. She held nothing back. He opened his eyes as he felt a trickle of drool land on his chest. He smiled. He would let her drench him in her drool. He didn't care. Fill his homes with her living kith and kin, drown him in tears, just let him wake up every morning in her warm embrace.

Buffy shifted and he smiled as she woke up and blinked down at him. He watched her smile and blush as she realized their position. She tried to pull away, but he pulled her back and nibbled on her exposed shoulder.

"No need to rush off, pet. Waking up with you is almost as wonderful as falling into bed with you." Trailing his fingers along her sides, he shifted his body up against hers.

"But I haven't brushed my teeth and it's morning." She looked down at him and giggled. "It's morning and you're still you."

She went limp on him and kissed the side of his neck. He felt her relief and her joy, heard her heart race even as her body went soft and supple, her trust in him made physical.

"I'll be here as long as you want me, luv. I'm yours." He stroked her back then rolled their bodies so he could look down into her eyes. "I'm where I want to be, where I'll always want to be."

"You make everything good for me. This is the way it's supposed to be. We just fit." She stroked his body with her fingertips. He fought down the urge to tease her and kissed her instead.

"Would you like to check the fit again then, luv?" He grinned and thrust his cock against her thigh enjoying the look of surprise on her face.

She looked up at his sparkling eyes and felt her heart start to race. He gave himself to her body and heart, all that he had, with no restraint. She could hear Giles ranting about souls and Xander making comments about animated corpses, but they didn't get it. Spike belonged to her and she belonged to him. It was about the belonging.

"I want to give myself to you, Spike." Buffy's voice trembled.

"You've done that, luv. Blood and body, you've given me so much. I'm a damned thing and you've blessed me, knocked off a bit of the filth. I'm yours." He kissed her gently on the eyelids and the tip of her nose.

"They all think I'm stupid. Well, Giles knows I'm not, and I think Oz has an inkling, but the others put me one step above Xander. I like it that way. I like to be underestimated. I can remember that an ifrit is not a frittata. I actually do research. I've caught Giles out a few times, when he thinks he needs to protect me. I hunt vampires. It's the job description. Do you really think I haven't read the book, hell, the whole damn library?" Buffy blew tendrils of her hair off of her face and stared into his eyes.

"I think you haven't read my library. Your watcher's books are from the human perspective. Vampires have a culture of our own, traditions, rituals. You know what makes us weak but not what makes us strong. The watchers need you to see us as the demons we are, so the books they give you focus on that." He twisted a stray curl around his finger. The silk against his skin tantalized him. He closed his eyes and imagined her golden tresses as his jesses. He was her falcon, her merlin. "I'll always come to your hand."

"I've been thinking for a while but I realized last night, I think best when I'm sleeping, it's a slayer thing, I don't want a tool, a weapon, and a promise. I want a partner. I want to give you what I have and hold what you will let me. Angelus has done us both. Destroyed us and yet here we are on the other side. Am I making any sense?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

He ignored her question as he fully grasped what she was on about.

"Luv, you are seventeen bloody years old. You're glorious and stronger than you know. You're human, and you'll heal. Then you'll want free of me. No shame in it. Life wants life, not the imitation of it." He kissed her softly, fighting the urge to concede.

"Spike," she frowned. "William, you plan to be everything for me until I cast you aside. That's your plan. Then what? I get to be another Drusilla leaving you to starve as I dance around happily?"

"You could never be so cruel." Spike lowered his head and licked at the tears flowing from her eyes. They burned on his tongue, and he felt infused with power, with life. "You'll tell me to go with big sad eyes, and I will, luv."

Buffy stared up into his beautiful face, her lover, and his plan clicked into place. "You'll dust. You greet the sun or fight a losing battle. You'll do it well away from me, so I won't feel guilty." She broke inside. Her tears turned to sobs and she wrapped herself around him, lost in grief.

"Don't do this to yourself, luv. I'm here with you as long as you want me to be. Please," he begged. "Stop. I'm not going anywhere."

Suddenly she flipped him. He was reminded that his kitten was actually a lioness. Her hair fell around them like a curtain. "You aren't going anywhere, you stupid, noble idiot."

She lunged and bit hard on his neck until his blood welled in her mouth. She fastened her lips over the wound and sucked. He bucked beneath her, lost in the pleasure. She let the wound go and licked it once.

"Per vestri cruor ego vindicatum vos." Her voice didn't falter. He shuddered as he felt the magic take hold. "Per meus cruor ego altum vos." She bit her own wrist and pressed the welling wound to his mouth. He tried to fight it, but she straddled him letting his cock slide home inside her and his mouth opened letting her blood in. He surrendered and suckled at her wrist.

"I claim you, Spike, William the bloody of the Aurelian line. Your strengths to mine, our weaknesses diminish. I, Buffy the Chosen One claim you. You are of the Slayer line now and forevermore.

He felt like the sun was burning inside him as he bucked upwards driving into her as she filled him with her power. He let her wrist go and licked at it, sealing the wound.

She dropped her chest and flattened herself against him offering her neck. He bit her and let just a sip pass into his mouth. Sweet, rich, and burning it slid down his throat to join the conflagration. "With your blood I claim you."

She thrashed and arched away from him while driving herself down on his cock. He ran one fang along his wrist and offered it to her. She latched onto it and sucked hard. He felt her consuming his essence and the sun inside him expanded. It felt like he was made of light and heat.

"With my blood I nourish you." He stroked his hand through her hair as she settled into a slow rhythm. "I, Spike, William the Bloody of the Aurelian line, join you. My strengths to yours, our weaknesses diminish. I am of the Slayer line now and forevermore." He roared and felt his body explode as the magic locked into place.

She released his wrist and collapsed against him sweat and blood and semen dripping from her. He stroked his hand along her spine. His mind whirled. She'd researched this. Used Latin because the book was in Latin. It wasn't necessary, any of it. He'd have stayed with her. He pressed a kiss to her temple and reveled in the feeling of belonging. She claimed him and pulled him from his line. He closed his eyes. He was the first vampire in a new order, the Order of the Slayer.

"Stop worrying." She breathed heavily. "I knew what I was doing, I did the research. I started planning the day we moved the others in. I've been waiting for the right time. Sorry, I forced it on you."

"No, you're not. You are completely satisfied with yourself. Sated and happy, I can sense it." He chuckled and kissed her sweaty temple again.

"I told you I was happy you were mine." She yawned.

He held her close, once again blanketed in her warmth. He could feel her heart beat, strong and steady. He closed his eyes. She was his miracle, his slayer, his mate.


	23. Chapter 23

Giles heard bodies hitting the mats as he walked down the stairs. It was a fair bet these days that Buffy would be sparring with Spike. She had started to practice with such dedication since they had been forced into this hidden existence. He felt the pull of sadness as he thought of what they had all been through.

He turned to see a flash of red hair moving low toward Spike as he whirled and evaded Oz's attack. Giles found himself glued to the final step, watching as Oz circled the vampire again. The two bodies moved with great speed.

"The boy's got skills, Rupert. In a week or two he'll be a real asset on the hunt." Spike called up as he flipped out of the werewolf's path. Oz growled and spun, but his leg sweep was a second too late and Spike was behind him in a blur of motion resting hand on Oz's shoulder.

"Good job, wolf man. You might get me someday." Spike said to Oz. "What do you think, Watcher?"

"Very good. I was hoping to find Buffy. Is she still sleeping?"

"No, silly bint is doing the French homework you assigned her. She's right over there." Spike nodded toward the entertainment portion of his basement.

Giles turned and caught sight of his slayer with a notebook in front of her. She was writing quickly. He groaned wondering how long it would take him to decipher her assignment this time. There were demon languages that bore greater resemblance to French than anything Buffy would write.

Buffy looked up at him and grinned. She sprang up and strode toward him confidently. She was wearing black jeans and a high-necked halter-top in an emerald shade that set off her eyes. He felt some of the constant pressure in his chest dissipate. Since the attack, her clothes had been boxy and concealing. He smiled to see a bit of her flare returning.

"I think I did a good job. The stuff finally made sense to me." She shrugged and handed the notebook to Giles. "Is it time to go get Mom?"

"Her flight lands in an hour. I wanted to leave plenty of time for us to make our way there securely."

"That's my watcher, always thinking." Buffy smiled and patted him affectionately on the shoulder.

He glanced down at the notebook in embarrassment and read the first line of her paragraph easily. He read through the whole thing while holding up a finger to silence the group. He felt disappointment flood through him. She must have copied over someone else's work.

"Buffy, you won't learn the language by cheating." He looked at her sternly.

"I didn't. I didn't even need the dictionary. It was just easy. I swear." She looked up at him with wide eyes. She didn't seem to be lying, but the French was flawless.

"No one learns a language in that manner, Buffy."

"Well, I did. I don't know why, but it was easy today. I finished all my work for the week. It was all easy."

Spike ran his hand along his neck and noticed when Buffy did the same. He closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She whirled and glared at him.

"What's so damn funny? I can tell you want to laugh." Buffy closed the distance between them in one stride. She poked him in the chest with one perfectly manicured nail.

He smiled and ran one finger along the mark he had left on her skin, even hidden by her collar, the touch made her shiver. "I've been tutoring you, pet. He just assumed you were too daft to be taught."

"I did not, but this kind of progress is unusual." Giles said in an even and placating tone as Buffy turned her angry eyes back to him.

"She's a dab hand at demon languages, already grasping Fyarl. That's hard to do with a human mouth." Spike stroked one finger down her arm and looked at Giles steadily.

"You've been tutoring her in demon languages? Why?"

"Makes sense," Oz said thoughtfully. "She might need them someday. More likely than French, anyway."

Giles looked at the notebook and then looked up at Buffy in wonder. "Perhaps picking up the demon languages somehow made learning French easier for you. I shall have to research this."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, spend your time researching why my poor little brain is working overtime. Don't we have to go get my mother and break the slayer news?"

"Yes, we do." Giles swallowed and looked at Buffy. "I imagine you're a bit on edge."

"Last time I told her, my parents dropped me off in the loony bin. Forgive me if telling her seems like a bad idea."

"No choice, pet." Spike rubbed her shoulders. "Angelus won't let anyone you care for alone."

"She's gonna lose it. You'd better stay handy to make with the demonstration." Buffy tapped the tip of Spike's nose.

"Wasn't planning to leg it, but if you don't go get the lady in question, we will be up against it again."

Buffy groaned and followed Giles up the stairs.

Spike called out to her in a series of snarls and growls, she laughed turning around to catch his eye. She answered him in a different series of growls before disappearing through the door.

"Didn't think anything said in Fyarl could be beautiful, but she managed it." Spike smiled and shook his head.

"I won't tell him, but the two of you should." Oz said.

Spike turned and looked down at him. "Should have realized you could smell it."

"He's not going to take it well, but hiding it will make it worse." Oz sat on the mats and leaned back. "He'll be researching the phenomenon for me anyway."

"Buffy wanted to get through telling her mum about the slaying before introducing the topic."

"So, she thinks her mom isn't going to wig about the sleeping arrangements?"

Spike dropped to the ground and rolled onto his back. "I'm doomed. She's already tried to brain me with an axe."

"Yep, and you're the undead sleeping with her seventeen year old daughter." Oz shook his head. "Think Buffy's newfound language ability will be enough to impress her mother?"


	24. Chapter 24

Drusilla stood on the balcony and swayed back and forth watching the newly risen moon's light dance across her skin. She had ripped the sleeves from her gown and tossed them away. Little snippets of a waltz played through her mind, but she couldn't focus on the song.

Angelus stepped out behind her, and she stilled. He ran one finger down her arm from shoulder to wrist. Then he gripped her waist and pulled her toward him.

"Call your boy, Dru. Make him come home." He whispered against her ear as he pressed his body against hers from behind. His finger traced its way back up her arm, leaving a trail of shivering flesh behind it. He settled his hand on her shoulder.

"He won't come, Daddy. My boy has gone." A single tear trailed down her face. "You ripped his head off for taking me to the shops."

He trailed his fingers along her body until they rested at her collarbone. "I wasn't talking about that worthless minion. I want our William home."

"He won't come, either. He celebrates and dances without me now." Her lips turned down in a pretty pout.

"He was made by you. Call him." His large hand slid to her throat and he pressed brutally, digging into her delicate flesh with his nails.

"I can't, Daddy." She choked the words out. He eased the pressure from his fingers.

"Princess, you need to bring that childe of yours to heel. He needs to come home."

"Not his home, just a place to hang his hat." Drusilla wrenched away from his grasp and turned to face Angelus. "Daddy left us all to die, and Mommy went back to do her service. We were left to wander in the forest without crumbs."

Angelus stepped toward his childe and she danced back from him. He studied her for a moment. Her hair was disheveled and her clothing was dirty and shredded in places. She needed someone. Spike had brushed her hair every morning while listening to her prattle on about her dolls. He had reminded her to feed, and made sure she was clean. He had been useful even in the damn chair.

"My childe is his own again, and off to play with the flowers and dance on the goblet's rim." Drusilla spun in a large circle, her laughter reverberating through the quiet night.

"Cac capaill." Getting a word of sense out of her was near impossible. Now, he needed to find her a new caretaker. None of the minions would do. They were too weak willed, and she tended to kill them if they displeased her dolls.

She had picked that annoying toy of hers well. One hundred and twenty years and he'd still been standing by her, working to save her. The little shit had been her sole caretaker for a century.

Drusilla came to a stop and quivered. Her eyes glowed golden and she leapt over the rail in a fluid movement. She landed gracefully and turned to him.

"I'm off to have some fun, Daddy." She waved and took off in a blur. He punched the wall to vent his frustration and launched himself after her.

"Princess, wait for me." He called as he caught a flash of her white petticoat ahead of him. Her giggle drifted back to him.

Bursting through some bushes he found her dancing with five enthralled humans around a swimming pool. She hummed and swirled before grabbing the youngest man in front of her and sliding into a proper hold. They waltzed in quick circles, her wild hair spinning behind them. The humans paired up as well and circled less gracefully.

He grabbed the wine from amidst their dinner table and took a long pull from the bottle. It was surprisingly good. He reclined on a chaise and watched his princess at her ball.

Drusilla laughed, and closed her eyes. For one moment it was all brilliantly clear. It was a night to celebrate, a night for dancing and drinking and games. She took a deep breath and sucked in the scent of all the flowers surrounding them in this lovely garden.

She pulled back and caressed the face before her. He was perfect. His blue eyes shone at her in the moonlight. He was young and vibrant. He was alive in his spirit, not just his body, vital.

She broke off the dance, and turned to the older couple. She hummed and closed her eyes as she created the pictures in their minds. They toddled off to dig his grave with a happy song from a moving picture her William had taken her to see. It had been so lovely with a wicked witch trying to kill a dark haired beauty, but the witch had lost and the stupid little men had been happy.

"It's my new boy's birthday, Daddy. I want to give him a present." Drusilla turned to Angelus.

He watched her stroke the pretty boy's face with her ragged nails, and relaxed. Her instincts were always good. This boy might be just what was needed.

"A new childe for our family," he mused. He unfolded from his chair and walked slowly toward the pair. "He is quite lovely. You have a type, my darling girl. Is this one a poet?"

"No, he makes the little drawings move, so they can sing and dance for us. Please, Daddy may I give him a present?"

Angelus looked at the pair and nodded. "You may. Eat the other boy first though. You want him to be strong." His hand cupped the boy's cheek. A new fledge would keep him busy and Drusilla in a better fashion. He walked around the smaller man slowly, anticipation growing.

"Would you like to eat his sister, Daddy?" Drusilla called to him.

"Only if you release the thrall, Dru. I want to taste her fear."

Drusilla giggled and her new toy moved suddenly. He walked to the sliding glass door and turned as Drusilla joined him on the threshold with the other two guests.

Angelus walked up to them. "Please come in, let's get some more to drink." The new boy had a nice voice. Angelus smiled and stepped over the threshold.


	25. Chapter 25

Joyce glared at Giles and slapped her palm down on the kitchen table in the strange house as he and Buffy followed her in from the garage. Her face was flushed and her eyes narrowed on him. He stepped in front of Buffy and glared back at her.

"Mom, please calm down." Buffy said as she tried to slide out from behind Giles' protective cover. "Giles is helping us. He doesn't deserve this."

"You had to know she was delusional, but you don't get her help. No, you drag her to some kind of compound and reinforce her fantasy world. What kind of teacher are you?" Joyce snarled and took two steps toward Giles with her finger pointed.

"Your daughter is not delusional." His voice emerged, irritated.

"You want young girls to think your place is the only safe place around. Oh, you're a pervert." Joyce screamed. "We are leaving."

"No, Mom." Buffy picked Giles up and set him aside before turning to face her mother arms akimbo. "He is so not a pervert, and yuck and ewww. He is my second watcher, and a great man. He helps keep me alive."

"He wants you to think that so he can take advantage of you." Joyce moved forward and put her hands gently on either side of Buffy's face. "He doesn't really care about you."

"I do care about her. How dare you imply I do not?" Giles puffed up indignantly.

"Giles, not helping." Buffy sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"So where are you sleeping, Buffy?" Joyce dropped her hands to her daughter's shoulders. "In his bed?"

"No, again, Mom, with the yuck and the ewww. I sleep in my own bed. He sleeps in another house."

"So, you have your own bed and you never have to share?" Joyce raised an eyebrow and looked at her daughters face as she flushed bright red. "I knew it. He's a dirty old man."

"I am not." Giles paced the room and polished his glasses furiously.

"I assume that's my cue to enter." Spike grinned as Buffy and Giles glared at him and Joyce whirled around to face him.

"You look familiar." She said tilting he head and squinting. "Where have I seen you before?"

"Parent Teacher night, pet." He smiled at her. "You tried to take my head off with an ax."

"What? No, that boy looked different than you. Don't you lie to me," she took a couple of steps toward him with her finger en pointe.

Spike burst into laughter and leaned back against the wall for support. Buffy glared at him. His eyes met hers for a moment and she smirked and tossed her hands up in the air.

"You think this is funny? She wants me back in the loony bin and Giles in prison, and you are laughing." Buffy stomped over to him and punched him in the shoulder. He laughed harder and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, I love your family. I really do." He giggled and swung her about before coming to a halt in front of Joyce and letting Buffy down slowly. He kissed the tip of her nose and turned to her mother, smiling.

"The watcher is a good man. Loves your girl like she's his very own. It's our bed she sleeps in, and will be sleeping in." He smiled and let his demon rise. His golden gaze met Joyce's as she stepped back. "She's not crazy. Vampires do exist."

Joyce stared at him for a moment and then punched him in the nose. His head snapped back and he rolled his neck as Buffy pushed her mother back from him.

"No hitting, Mom." Buffy glared at her mother and rushed back to Spike.

"Do you need an ice pack or some blood?" Buffy fussed at his face looking for any sign of injury.

"She's got style, your mum. I quite like her." He grinned down at Buffy. "She's strong, but only human, luv. I am fine."

"You might not be when she's done." Buffy flattened her hand against his neck, over her mark. "We aren't finished here."

"So, we are ripping the bandage off quickly, then?" He raised an eyebrow.

Buffy nodded and turned to look at her mother. Joyce and Giles were glaring at each other.

"This is your fault." Joyce pointed at Giles again. "Buffy may be a difficult child, but you encourage this. She's not an adult and he has to be in his mid twenties. You allowed this nonsense."

"You're off by a century." Spike smiled at her and sat on the kitchen island and pulled Buffy back against him. "I am a vampire."

Joyce growled low in her throat and glared at him. She turned on her heel and stepped toward them, her fists clenched at her sides.

"I wasn't speaking to you." She gritted out.

"No, you weren't, and you aren't listening to any of us. Buffy is in danger. So are we all. She loves you and can't lose you, so you will be living here until we can make the world safe for puppies, rainbows, and all that other sunshiny stuff." He rested his hands on Buffy's shoulders.

"Get your hands off my daughter." Joyce glared up at him.

"No." Spike smiled at her nicely. "We won't be dictated to in our own home."

Joyce turned and stared at Giles. "You're her watcher, and that's some sort of protector, right?"

Giles nodded and put his glasses back on.

"Then make him let her go." Joyce pointed at Spike while glowering at Giles.

"Mom, Giles can help me with the slaying and his big brain is so cool, but I'm where I want to be." Buffy stepped forward and grabbed her mother's hands and pulled them together in front of her. "Spike saved my life. Saved all our lives."

"So, you're rewarding him with your body?" Joyce shook her head. "Baby, that isn't right."

"Spike isn't like that. He wouldn't take advantage of me like that. I was in bad shape when he saved me, Mom. He could have finished me off, but he brought me here and got Giles. Tell her, please, Giles."

"I don't know the extent of her initial injuries. She'd been cleaned up and treated for most of them before I got here. She had a broken pelvis and couldn't stand on her own two feet. Her skin was a tracery of healing lash marks. Joyce, it was horrible." Giles touched her shoulder. "He has been helping us ever since."

Joyce swallowed. "How is she walking and bouncing about now? If all that is true?"

"Slayers heal at an extremely fast pace. They are stronger, faster, have heightened senses. The longer they live the faster and stronger they get. Buffy has been the slayer for two years now. She's amazing, truly." Giles smiled fondly at Buffy.

"Thanks, Watcher mine. I think you rock, too."

"So, why are they sleeping together, living together?" Joyce looked at the three of them.

"I made Spike promise to kill me before Angel could. I couldn't sleep without him next to me at first. I really didn't like it if he left my sight. Still don't really." Buffy shuddered. "Then it was comfortable and we just slept nothing else."

Joyce pulled her hands free and hugged Buffy close to her and rocked them back and forth. She rubbed Buffy's back. "Baby, I promise we will get you some help. We'll call the police. We'll find a way to get you back to normal."

"You still think I'm crazy." Buffy pushed her mother away gently.

"I'm fairly certain you all are. I don't know how he makes his face do that weird thing, but vampires don't exist." Joyce looked at Buffy with sad eyes. "I'll call your father and we will get you help."

"Mom, stop it. This is real. It is all really happening." Buffy pulled a knife from a wrist sheath and sliced her hand open.

The blood welled and Joyce raced at her with a kitchen towel that had been left on the table. Buffy looked at her and licked the blood off and held her hand up. There was a faint scar on her palm.

"Stop with the trick knives, Buffy. It is not funny." Joyce grabbed her shoulder and tried to take the knife. Buffy shoved her lightly back.

"It's not a trick knife, Mom." She drove it through her palm.

"Do we really have to resort to all this blood wasting?" Spike snarled and jumped down from the counter.

He put his hand under hers to catch the blood. Buffy glared at him for a second. He smiled and Buffy shook her head. Giles sat wearily in a chair and Buffy held her hand out to show her mother the blade poking through her hand.

"Pull it out, Mom. It's real. See for yourself." Joyce gaped at her daughter.

"We have to take you to the emergency room, now. You leave that in. You can't pull something like that out. We need a doctor." Joyce scrambled for her purse.

Spike rolled his eyes and grabbed the hilt of the knife with his spare hand. "I'll yank it out. Joyce, if you don't. I won't be careful. Your baby could get hurt."

"Stop it." Joyce grabbed his hand and he wrenched the knife free of Buffy's hand. She looked at the knife and her daughter's healing hand. "It's real. How is it real."

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Joyce, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Vampires are real. I am one. Buffy is the one girl in all the world that kills us. She is also very much my mate."

Joyce stared up at him for a second before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the floor. He looked at Buffy and smiled.

"She believes you now."


	26. Chapter 26

"Why?" Buffy cradled her mother's head in her lap and glared up at Spike. "She's freaked, and you have to lay it all out like that."

"You did say that was the idea. Did you want her calling the police?" Spike raised his scarred brow. "I think we may have bigger problems than your mum, Luv. Watcher has left the building, so to speak."

Buffy turned and saw the shocked expression frozen on Giles' face. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Her mother shifted and Buffy stroked the older woman's hair before opening her eyes.

"Is he breathing?" She asked.

"Yes, he's breathing." Spike rolled his eyes and walked near the watcher. "His heart is beating double time, but he seems okay."

"Great, just great. Mom is gonna come around and go nuts again and he's off his onion."

Spike snickered. "I am enjoying your new vocabulary."

Buffy growled and snarled at him, and he leaned back against the table as laughter shook his body. "Can't very well do that, Luv, anatomically impossible for a non-Fyarl.

Buffy pulled her sweater off and bunched it under her mother's head. She looked peaceful, lying on the floor. Buffy trailed her fingers through her mother's hair before she stood.

"Okay, how do we fix this?" Buffy turned to Spike and nestled into his open arms.

"Nothing to fix, really. They'll come around. They love you." Spike kissed her temple and hugged her tighter. "Watcher will get unstuck in a minute, your mum will wake up, and we'll have fireworks all over again."

"I don't want these fireworks. I want a family dinner and normal human stuff for them. Can we do that?" Buffy looked up at him with her green eyes shining and Spike suppressed his desire to tease her.

"We can do some of it. I'm not keen on a church wedding, but if the white dress and frou-frou is important to you I am willing to do the human thing. Our lives are going to be unusual, but we can do as much normal human stuff as my body allows." Spike pulled her back to him and felt a twinge of loss for his humanity, a thing he'd never missed before.

Joyce made a small sound, and the couple bent to examine her. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, but she didn't wake up. Buffy turned to look at Giles and shrieked. She dove toward him as he tried to stake Spike from behind.

She managed to get her hand between Spike's back and the sharpened wood, but Giles wasn't able to check his movement and the wood drove through her skin, cracking a bone as it pierced her hand.

Spike swirled about and grabbed her, pulling her as he leapt across the room. He landed and crouched between her and the watcher, at the ready to defend her. She rested her good hand on his back to reassure him, but he continued to growl, a low threatening sound.

Buffy tried to pull the stake free, but it was stuck. She tossed both hands up in the air and a big drop of blood plopped down on Joyce's nose. The older woman woke up and wiped at her face. When she looked at the blood on her hands, she screeched.

Giles looked around the room, a dazed expression on his face. He shook his head several times. His eyes fixed on Buffy and Spike. He took in the dripping blood and his injured slayer.

"Buffy, move away from him. He's dangerous." Giles spoke in an even and commanding tone. Buffy rolled her eyes and Spike growled again, his golden eyes tracking every movement in the room.

"I'm not the one sticking wood into people." Spike snapped.

Giles stepped toward him. "You can't do this to her. You have to be stopped."

"It's a done deal, Giles. You need to slow down and think. Use your damn brain." Buffy said through clenched teeth.

Joyce looked between the two men and jumped up. "You have got to be kidding me! Both of you sit." She pointed to Giles and Spike. "At the table like normal people do. Buffy is hurt, and I won't have it. I don't care if she is super girl. She shouldn't have to stand around, dripping blood with a piece of wood jammed through her hand while you two waste time posturing."

Joyce walked over to Buffy and pushed Spike out of her way without a flicker of fear. Buffy smiled at her, and tried to hide her hand behind her back. Joyce grabbed her by the shoulder and marched her to the sink.

"I told you two to sit." She glared over her shoulder at the two slack jawed males until they sat at opposite ends of the table.

"Mom, you need to pull it out while I immobilize the hand. The wood is stuck between the bones, and one of the bones is a little cracked." Buffy peaked up at her mother with a sad look. "I wanted this to go smoother. Sorry about shocking you."

"Buffy, can we take care of this first? Are you sure you wouldn't rather go see a doctor?" Joyce looked in her eyes and pushed her stray hairs back behind her ears. Buffy shook her head.

"This is no big." Buffy shrugged. "It would have killed Spike though."

Buffy leaned around her mother to glare at Giles.

"Don't encourage them, Buffy. We will deal with all of this in a couple of minutes." Joyce grabbed the stake and waited for Buffy to brace her hand. She jerked the stake free and stared in wonder as Buffy's skin started to heal before her eyes.

"It's faster, now. Probably because of the mating." Buffy dragged out a first aid kit from under the sink and wrapped her hand up. "I'll be fine in an hour."

"Drink some orange juice, Buffy." Giles called out. "You've lost quite a bit of blood in the last few minutes."

Buffy grabbed a bottle of juice and a bag of blood out of the fridge. Joyce watched as Buffy poured the blood into the mug and popped it in the microwave.

"How domestic of you." Joyce said.

"Mom, it's okay to be freaked. My guy drinks blood, but he eats regular food too. You'll get used to it." Buffy rubbed her shoulder for a second and popped the kettle on. "Get yourself a drink and go sit at the table. I'll finish this up."

Buffy hummed as she set up a tray with little snacks. She refused to look at the uncomfortable trio at the kitchen table. She filled a tea ball with Giles favorite and popped it in the smallest pot before adding the water. She stood back and looked at the tray. She grinned at the oddity of the moment.

"Spike, would you come here and carry this over. It's a bit much for me at the moment." Buffy looked at him and smiled brightly.

He came over and grabbed the tray up. "He hurts you, tries to kill me, and we are feeding him?"

"I know you'd rather be feeding off him right now, but he's important to me. Be nice now, and I'll be extra nice later." She whispered to him.

"Fine, but it irks." He turned and carried the tray to the table. Buffy followed with his mug and her bottle of juice.

"Buffy," Giles glared at them. "Have you entered into another ill advised relationship with a vampire?"

"Sounds like a bleedin' Anne Rice novel." Spike snarled as he set the tray down and sat back in his chair.

"Really does." Buffy nodded. Taking the chair next to him. "Don't you think you should have started with that rather than trying to kill my mate?"

Giles just leveled his best glare in her direction.

"Why do you keep saying mate?" Joyce asked. "It makes you sound like animals."

"It's the proper term." Giles snarled. "She's tied herself to a thing."

"Hey," Buffy stood and glared at him. "You were fine with taking his help. Fine letting him risk his existence for us."

"This is a tad bit more than accepting his help. You are bound to him for the rest of your life. Do you understand that?" Giles pushed back from the table and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Did you think about what would happen to me if that stake had done what you intended?" Buffy slapped her hands down on the table, winced, and leaned forward.

Giles blanched and he covered his mouth with a shaking hand.

"What would happen?" Joyce asked.

"I would die, and Buffy would be in horrible pain until she corked it, too." Spike said. "She's not a vampire, so it won't be fast or easy."

"Do vampires and humans do this often?" Joyce asked. "I mean how do you know that's what will happen?"

"Vampires don't mate with humans. We turn some, but most are food." Spike shrugged one shoulder. "The mating took though, I can feel it. The consequences are part of it."

"You let him talk you into this." Giles shook his head. "The Council could very well turn on you, and that's just one possibility. The demon population will be no happier about this."

"Giles, I forced him to do it. I started the binding without his consent. I chose this for us." Buffy smiled at Spike and held out her hand. "I've been dead once. My time is limited are you going to begrudge me this little bit of joy?"

"You've been dead?" Joyce stood up and stared at Buffy in shock.

"Yeah, Mom. It's a long story. Can we cover it later?" Buffy looked up at her pleadingly.

Joyce nodded and sank down to her seat. She stared at her daughter's hand entwined with the vampire's, and started to shake.

"Mom, I'm fine. Okay? Please." Buffy pulled her hand free of Spike's and she reached across the table for her mother's. "There's a lot of stuff to tell you, but later."

Giles watched the two women and glanced at the vampire for a moment. This creature had tied his life to a mortal with no hope of more than a handful of years. It made no sense.

"If you try to turn her…"

"I'm dust. I know that." Spike glared at Giles. "Her last heartbeat, will be the last sound I hear before I dust."

"Then why? If she started the ritual, you could have said no. You could have stopped this nonsense."

"I would rather have a handful of minutes with her than eternity alone. I would have happily stayed by her side as a friend, but she wanted more. I won't deny her. I love her. Is that really beyond your ability to understand?" Spike stroked Buffy's hair as Joyce focused on him.

Giles looked at Buffy and sadly shook his head. "No, I can understand. I love her like a daughter. I wish you weren't bound to each other. There are so many things we can't anticipate. I suppose some part of me wanted Buffy to have a normal courtship. I didn't object to you before, so I won't now." He slumped in his chair.

"Okay. My daughter is a superhero, with a vampire mate. There is some super evil vampire hunting us all, and I have to stay here until the two of you kill him." Joyce said in an odd choked voice drawing all their eyes.

"In a nutshell." Spike said with a smile. "There are a passle of annoying teenagers underfoot most of the time. It takes some adapting to."

"As soon as we are out of danger you two will be doing all the human things as well. Mixed marriages need to honor both traditions."

Buffy looked at Spike and smiled. "No Billy Idol at the reception."


	27. Chapter 27

Giles stood stock still in the kitchen doorway and watched his slayer bounce on the balls of her feet as she dug through the refrigerator. She was singing a Sex Pistols song. Loudly.

"Pretty Vacant, she does a nice rendition." Spike smiled as he came up behind the watcher. He sidled around the man and laughed as she tossed a bag of blood over he shoulder to him without looking.

"Eat it cold. You're too hungry to wait. I'll heat you another." Buffy smiled as she spun on the balls of her feet and skipped to the microwave with a mug and a bag of blood.

"You need to eat as well love. We have some hunting to do tonight." He ripped open the corner of the cold bag and gulped it down.

Giles looked at Buffy's short, black skirt. It was made of some sort of stretchy material and moved with her. It made her silky halter-top seem conservative. The outfit was designed to enhance her delicate femininity. Her hair was braided back in a complicated design and held together by two slim pieces of wood. Spikes close fitting jeans and tee were equally baffling.

"What is going on here?" Giles demanded.

"Well, breakfast for some and lunch for others." Spike smiled and popped up on the island to sit.

"Why are you both tarted up?" Giles winced at the strangled note in his voice as he asked the question.

"We are off to cause a little mayhem, crack a few heads, enjoy the finer demon catering establishments in the area." Spike's flippant attitude clear in his body language, he ripped open the corner of the bag and poured the liquid into his mouth.

"Spike, be serious. Giles needs to know what we're up to. I know you said this will help keep the others safe, but it means being ready for an attack." Buffy rolled her eyes when he saluted her.

"Luv, it means fighting. Something you and I are better at than most. We are picking the venue and we have the control." Spike watched as she tucked into the cold Chinese food with relish.

"What are you doing?" Giles demanded.

"Taking the fight to Peaches, forcing him to play our game." Spike took another long sip from the bag and grimaced.

"Why do you believe this will help?" Giles asked. "You've done no surveillance. Just going out to fight seems risky."

"Yeah, if we were going to be predictable. Angelus knows how to fight predictable. He hates chaos, never learned to enjoy the fight. . We are going to pick different spots. Let him come to us. He's a mastermind. Great for the long game, not so good for a game that changes locations and rules every night. If we go to ground, he just has to find us. If we take all comers every night in a different location, we thin the minion herd and keep him busy trying to figure out how to get an advantage."

"You've got to keep Mom bust tonight. It's her first time, knowing what I'm headed out to do. She's gonna freak." Buffy shook her head sadly. "I think you're facing the tougher situation."

"She is less than thrilled about the sleeping arrangements," he glared at Buffy. "You might consider starting this new plan tomorrow and helping her get settled in."

"That is so not going to happen." Buffy grinned and handed Spike his mug. "We are off to some demon bar to play pool in just a few minutes."

"We need to hit three separate parts of town in the next three nights. Maybe more. Depends on the force he's gathering. Even one night without us drawing him out could give him an advantage. Stop thinking chess and start thinking knife fight." Spike spoke in his most sober voice and made eye contact with Giles and held it. "You've been in a few, I'd wager."

"Giles, he's a planner. It's Angelus' strength. He likes to take his time, play with his food. If we can keep him off balance and fighting on our terms, we have a better chance." Buffy rested a hand on her watcher's arm. "I know Mom will be difficult tonight. I'm sorry. Give her something to do. Research our bond. We are figuring this out as we go. Might be good to have an idea about what to expect."

"We will be coming back." Spike stared him straight in the eye again. "This is necessary. I need to know what kind of force he's marshaling. I'll know more once I see the response to this little foray."

Giles simply nodded, dropping his gaze to the floor and not making eye contact with either of them. "I am sorry about my earlier behavior. I should have gathered all the information before acting so rashly."

"You were just doing the enraged father bit. I respect that." Spike waited for Giles to meet his eyes. "She means the world to us both."

"Stop it," Buffy growled. "No sweet family bonding right now. I need to go burn off some aggravation. Let's go kick a little ass." She smiled up at Spike as she grabbed his arm.

"Where are your weapons?" Giles sounded shrill even to his own ears.

"Well, my hair sticks would serve in a pinch, but Spike worked so hard getting it to look just so I'd hate to mess it up. I have daggers in by boots. A stake in the sheath at the small of my back, and I'll have a cue stick in hand. They are made of wood." Buffy counted things off on her fingers as she spoke.

"We really do need to head out. We won't be back early." Spike smiled and shrugged into a short jacket.

"No duster?" Buffy asked.

"Not tonight. Too recognizable in it, and I don't want to be spotted until we want their attention." He cupped her cheek and stared down into her shining eyes.

Giles watched as they shared a brief kiss and then turned back to him with wide grins. They looked eager to head out. Buffy was bouncing on her toes again.

"Take care. We will all be researching until you return." He smiled at the blonde couple when they turned and waved. They were off to battle holding hands as if it were a date. He shook his head and watched them disappear into the night.


	28. Chapter 28

Buffy smiled and studied the table as she moved to take her shot. This was turning out to be a fun date. She looked up at the assorted demons, and the smoky air. There were plenty of cheap tables and chairs and the décor had seen better days, but she was enjoying herself. She glanced up at Spike and winked as she took the shot. His good-natured grumbling was all the confirmation she needed. The table was still hers.

"I thought you had never played, Slayer." He said as she examined the table.

"I haven't, but come on. It's a game with a giant stake and I appear to have gotten more than language ability from you," She kissed his cheek and splayed her free hand on his abdomen. "Plus, if I win I get breakfast in bed for a week. Hard to resist."

"Hustled by my mate for food delivery, what is the world coming to?" Spike watched her move and line up her next shot. Watching her play, watching her actually enjoy the moment, made it worth getting up early and losing his bragging rights.

Buffy made her final shot and danced about in silly celebration. He growled at her and she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Could the two of you take the weird and disturbing love fest outside? Some of us came here to enjoy a drink, not a floor show." The horned demon with purple skin glared at Buffy and Spike with distaste.

Buffy looked at the demon and giggled. She stalked toward it and made a strange set of clicks and whistles. It stood and smashed the bottle on the table and lunged for her.

She grinned and sidestepped, letting the large demon's bulk carry him into the wall with no help from her.

"Luv, it might be best to avoid insulting the Gremlath demons. They can do a lot of damage." Spike leaned his rear against the table and watched as Buffy spun her cue like a staff. She was all elegance and lethal precision.

"Well, Baby, I finished kicking your ass," Buffy grinned and winked at him. "I need entertainment, so I am going to kick his ass now."

"Fine, Slayer. Enjoy your demon baiting." He waved his hand at the demon struggling to his feet. "I'll be at the bar."

"Get me a soda. I'm gonna work up a thirst." Buffy smiled at him over her shoulder as she ripped one of the horns from the Gremlath's head.

"No, you won't." He watched as she stabbed the demon through. It stutter-stepped and collapsed as its body fizzled and began to melt. "Sorry mate. Hoisted on your own petard."

Buffy trotted over to him with a happy grin on her face. She was radiant, and half the bar had emptied already. Angelus would have to send a group of minions to investigate. He shook his head and grabbed her hand as they walked through one of Sunnydale's worst dives.

Buffy slid onto a stool and watched as a group of small demons rushed into the room and drank down the demon goo, leaving the floor pristine. She raised an eyebrow at Spike and he shook his head.

"Do you think we could save the fighting for our intended victims and leave the poor demonic sundry alone?" Spike groused at her as he paid for their drinks.

"Gremlaths are not setting up shop here. They are territorial and opportunistic. One is an easy enough kill, a colony is an organized menace." Buffy rubbed his knee. "That was an unattached male. He would have set up a colony soon enough."

"So, you were planning on fighting him from the moment we walked in." Spike shook his head. "Do you think we can stick to the plan now?"

"Depends." She shrugged and downed her sweet drink. "I've had to take on two colonies in the last year. They nearly got me the second time. Taking out a problem before it becomes a situation means more time in bed with you."

"Well then, have at it." He kissed her and picked up his beer. "Want to play another game?"

"Sure. What are we playing for?" Buffy smiled up at him and he shook his head.

"Enjoyment. I've learned my lesson." He slung his arm around her and pulled her close. "Never bet against you."

"You'd better remember that lesson." She leaned her head on his shoulder and he spun her in a wide arc.

"My break." He racked the balls and was removing the abused triangular plastic piece when Buffy erupted in giggles.

"No honey, my break." She was pointing to a group of vampires that strolled in. The lead was wearing a white tee, but his little helpers were evenly divided between striped shirts and solid ones.

"Oh, whatever is he thinking?" Spike laughed and leaned against the table for support. "He let them leave like that. He's off his gourd."

Buffy smiled at him and burst into action. She used her cue like a pole-vaulter and stabbed it on the ground before swinging on it and planting her feet squarely on the chest of the white clad minion. She rode his body to the floor and stabbed her cue through the solid blue shirt of one of his comrades.

"Solids." Buffy laughed out and smiled as the vamp dusted in a swirl of ashes.

"Righto, stripes it is." Spike unscrewed his cue and jumped over the table shoving both pieces deep through the backs of two of the stripe-clad vamps as they circled the melee looking for an angle. He landed in a crouch with swirls of ash pluming up from either side of him.

He caught sight of Buffy as she drove her cue in a straight line through three of their attackers. She tossed him a grin as their dust wafted around her. He saluted her with a touch of two fingers to his forehead and turned to face a small semicircle of his own opponents.

He spun and whirled, easily avoiding their ham fisted battle tactics. He came up under the largest one and drove his partial cue up through the poor git's giant belly into the heart and kicked out behind him to knock back the one approaching him from behind as the ash drifted in front of him.

His eyes caught on a flash of golden hair and he watched as Buffy kicked the poor cue ball vamp into the last of his solid shirted comrades. Her happy giggle filled the air and Spike spun back into action with a joyful shout of his own.

He made quick work of the two remaining stripes, stabbing them as the rushed him he stepped through the space between their bodies second before the dusted. He twirled the pieces of his cue in big arcs and looked up to see Buffy playing with their cue ball.

"Getting some practice in, Luv?" He asked and righted a chair to sit in.

"Well, this one feels different. He's got some age on him. Do ya recognize him?" She raised a quizzical brow and he noticed her eyes glowing a bright green.

"Can't say as I do, Luv. It's not so unusual for weaker vamps to be drafted as minions. Angelus needs cannon fodder. Are you done playing this game? I have another you might like a bit more."

Buffy smiled and dusted the vamp with an easy movement. She rested the cue against the wall and held out her hand to him.

They strolled out into the night their hands joined and swinging between them.


	29. Chapter 29

Oz curled on some pillows in the corner of the large room. He'd pulled them from the couch to avoid sitting near Willow. It was a huge effort to be in the same room with her. His body ached. Sparring with Spike helped. The physical activity and the knowledge that he could use his wolf traits to advantage made a difference. The music sounded as some inane television show ended. He opened his eyes and stared out at the room.

He watched Willow, huddled on the couch. Her clothing was loose and layered, like she was wearing a sack. He missed her fuzzy sweaters, missed laughing and talking with her, missed watching her do anything other than stare sightlessly at the television as Xander and Cordelia chatted next to her.

Giles was upstairs having another serious conversation with Mrs. Summers. Their tense voices teased along the edge of his hearing. Pots clanged as she cooked. He picked up the scent of stew on the air. He thought for a moment of joining them, forcing their angry words to silence with his presence alone.

Buffy and Spike were off trying to make a difference. They had been honest about their deepening relationship with everyone though he had figured it out from their changed scents. Their mating was lovely to him, what he'd always dreamed of having with Willow. It was supposed to make him stronger and serene. Help him control the wolf. It had never occurred to him that it would be a tool used against him. He swallowed the growl that longed to burst forth.

Willow was not handling the news of their mating well. She had retreated from her friends and sat silently. Her guilt and anger were overwhelming her pain and suffering. He didn't begrudge her the strength, but it made it more difficult to go to her. The storm would break soon and hurricane Willow would rage over them all.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. Her emotions battered him constantly. His own became lost in the onslaught. He entertained the notion of trying to pretend with Willow, to give her the physical affection she craved. She didn't seem to feel him as sharply as he did her. He might be able to conceal the revulsion. It might spare the others.

She stood and started pacing. He watched her. He loved her, still. It ached inside him and he flung himself to his feet.

"Don't do this, Willow. There is stuff you don't understand. You need to step back and think." She moved closer and he stepped back, avoiding her touch.

"You won't let me touch you. You won't let me help you. I'm supposed to be happy you'll be in the same room with me." Willow screamed. "She brought this down on our heads with her great love and all that crap and now she's all shacked up with another vampire. Everyone acts like that's normal."

"I don't care if it's normal." Cordelia spat. "She's out there trying to fix it. Let her. If you had done what you were told you'd be fine. Why do you keep blaming Buffy? She's the only one with a shot at saving us."

"You didn't see her, Will." Xander rubbed Cordelia's thigh. "I've seen Buffy walk into things knowing she wasn't coming out. She never flinches, never panics. She fell to pieces before she pulled it together and got you out."

"Willow, you need to stop." Oz closed his eyes to avoid looking into hers. "Buffy has tried to help you, tried to talk with you. She is stressed out; fighting really dangerous vamps every night. She needs us to be safe."

"Oh, so this is my fault? I made Angel crazy?" Suddenly her fingers flashed with power. Oz growled and she glared at him.

"She traded one vamp in for another, guess slayers don't mate for life." Willow sneered. "Too bad wolves do. You might have been monster enough for her when this one turns on us, too."

The door to the room slid open behind her and Spike came through with Buffy. Her small hand was tight on his arm, knuckles white. His eyes flashed as he fought to remain in his human guise.

"Spike, don't." Buffy said it softly. Xander and Cordy slid back into the cushions of the couch as he growled.

"This is your home. She will not speak of you in that manner in your own home." He forced the words out, riding the edge of control.

"Well, my home isn't safe anymore, so I don't have anyplace else to say what's on my mind." Willow spat out glaring at them both.

"Have you lost your mind?" Xander asked. "Willow, she's been through hell. I don't know the details. I don't want to know. It cost her something to go back in that house and get you out, but she did it."

"Yep, that's our Buffy. She fucks up and then she fixes it with one bold act. Only this time we're all stuck hiding, and she gets to go out and make the streets safe for humanity."

"She made a mistake and she gets a mate." Willow glared at Oz. "I tried to save mine, and he can't stand to be near me for long."

"You got an easy ride with Angelus." Spike stepped to the side and pulled free of Buffy. "He was playing you. He still is. He's the one that hurt you. He's the one that tricked you, but he did it so sweetly. Easier to hate us than yourself, in' it."

Willow sagged back, but her fingers were moving. Oz felt the surge of power leaving him as she pulled energy to work the spell.

"She's casting." He growled out as he fell to his knees.

Buffy saw her fingers twitch and jumped the ten feet between them to plow her friend to the ground. The fireball hit the couch and Xander ripped his sweatshirt off and smothered the flames while Cordelia screamed.

"Listen to me, Willow." Buffy pleaded "He made it nice. It was a game to him. You were a toy. He made it nice, so you would do what he wanted. He needed you mated so he could hurt you both and drive you mad. He wants you to hate me. He wants you to hate everything. Are you going to let him win?"

Willow stared up into Buffy's face. She saw the pain in her best friend's eyes. She wrapped her arms around Buffy and sobbed. Buffy pulled her up and cradled her. She stroked Willow's hair with one hand and her back with another. Her eyes locked with Spike's as he bent to check on Oz.

Oz sat up with help and crawled across the floor to Willow and Buffy. He took Willow from Buffy's embrace, wrapping her in his arms and holding her close. Her hands curled in his shirt. He didn't notice as the others slipped away.


	30. Chapter 30

Spike slammed through the house with Buffy trailing behind him. She cast Giles and her mom a quick wave and took off in his wake, keenly aware of his rage as it poured off him. Joyce went to follow the pair, but Giles grabbed her arm and shook his head.

Buffy found Spike staring at their bed. He was trying so hard to rein it in. She could feel the war inside him. She touched his shoulder and he shrugged her fingers off. She felt a flash of anger and lost control. She growled, grabbed his arm, and spun him to face her.

"You can be angry, but what do you think you are protecting me from? I know you're mad. I know you thought about tasting her blood. Hell, I thought about putting her through the wall."

"She likened you to a whore and treated me as a thing in my own home. I should have left her to Angelus. The wolf might have been better off." He wrenched free of her grasp.

"He loves her." Buffy said quietly.

"Well, love, as they say, is truly fucking blind. She didn't last an hour against Angelus and he didn't do a damn thing to her, but play with her mind."

"Calm down." Buffy scrambled around to get in front of him. "She attacked me cause she is hurting, Spike. He raped her, and you know it."

"Yesterday, I was willing to understand and help her," Spike snapped. "I tried. I've tried with all of them, but they keep attacking you, and I won't have it."

"She didn't understand. He hurt her. She isn't like us. Doesn't understand how evil acts, how it feels. We've both killed, crossed lines of soul and spirit that she doesn't know exist. Angelus knew that. Knew how to play her. He did it, but I brought that monster back. She is right about that."

"No," he screamed and grabbed her shoulders. "You will not spout her vile crap. You will not."

He slammed her back against the wall his eyes swirling between gold and blue, then back again. She watched as he struggled. His body was shaking. She could see it, feel it. His hands were freezing on her skin.

She considered giving him the fight he needed, kicking free of his hold, and letting loose, but she discarded it. He needed love that didn't hurt, needed her to be his safe place as he was hers. She brought her hand up to his shirt and noticed how warm his chest was. He looked down at her hand and then up to her wide eyes. She smiled as she felt him shift. Suddenly, he was pressed up against her his lips hard on hers. She gave in to the passion and whirled his body around as his arms fell to her waist.

Buffy pressed Spike up against the wall with one hand and broke their kiss. She looked up at his golden eyes staring at her from his human face. She pulled at the tie of her halter-top and let it fall to her waist. She grinned at Spike as his anger shifted to another kind of passion and he surged against her hand.

"You are mine." She pushed him back easily and grinned at the consternation that showed clearly on his face. "It does not matter what the rest of them think or say. Once they are safe, they leave and we will still have each other."

"You love them." He shook his head. "We will never be free of them."

"Having friends won't hurt you, and, once they get used to you, they will be your friends." She leaned up against him, giving up control, and kissed him. He wrapped her in his arms.

"No, I'll be the monster in the closet to them, but I can tolerate it for you." He kissed her tenderly. Their lips pressed softly and she felt the tip of his tongue trace the seam of hers. She opened to him and reveled in the taste as their tongue twined.

Buffy groaned as he moved her, sliding her body up his until he was holding her aloft and kissing her with his head thrown back. She grabbed his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed, their tongues sliding against teeth, delving deeply. He walked them carefully across the room and toppled them to the bed. His hand was sliding up her smooth thigh, his fingers riding between the warm fabric of her skirt and the inferno of her skin, when the sound of a foot on the stair caught his attention. He growled as he pulled up Buffy's shirt, letting her tie it. He kissed her quickly and darted at full speed to his favorite chair.

"See, a locking door would solve this problem." Buffy tossed a glare in his direction as she sat up and tried to look like they had been having a quiet conversation.

"Letting me drain the lot of them would solve it faster." He smiled back at her and shifted in his chair. "Or we could hang human convention and let them walk in on us."

She tossed a pillow at him as her mother's concerned face came into view. The unease and discomfort were easy for Buffy to read. She shifted trying to deal with her conflicting urges to comfort her mother and to kick her out.

Spike stood and walked over to Joyce. He seemed completely fine, in control and content. Buffy felt the urge to pounce on him and muss his hair.

"Please forgive me for ignoring you when we arrived home this evening. It was unpardonable." He bowed, using his perfect manners. "I shall retreat for a moment and allow you some undisturbed time with Buffy."

Buffy bit back a snarl as he disappeared down the stairs. He'd face a thousand vampires all screaming for her blood and never leave her side, but this one human woman made him run like a rabbit. She watched her mother look around the room, taking in every detail, and wanted to grow a fluffy tail of her own.

"Mom, what are you looking for?" Buffy tried to keep her voice steady and calm as her mother's gaze flipped to her. "Everything is fine."

"I do have ears Buffy." Joyce tilted her head and tapped the lobe of one. Buffy braced herself for the lecture. "Willow shouldn't talk to him like that, or to you. I won't have it. I'm not hampered by my monster status in dealing with your little group here. I can understand a little bit of their concern, but he is a nice boy. He deserves better. They will be showing him respect, or they will deal with me."

Buffy sat in stunned silence as Joyce looked at a painting on the wall. She touched the frame and shook her head. She looked around the huge room again.

"That's a lovely painting. He has quite an eye." Joyce said.

"He knew the guy. It was part of some series. He hung it up the day you got here." Buffy shrugged. "He said it belongs in the room where I lay my head."

"Pre Raphaelites didn't paint a great deal of blonde women with swords. I think this one is a Hughes. The man died in 1917. It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that my future son in law knew him. I'd love to talk with him about the art in this house." Joyce shook her head thoughtfully. "I'm going to deal with your friends tomorrow morning. Sleep in."

Buffy looked at her mother, flustered again. She shifted on the bed trying to figure out what to say. Joyce came over, sat next to her, and hugged her tight.

"You went out and fought tonight. You both fought to keep the world safe, to keep us safe. You should be able to come home to a kinder welcome than you faced tonight." Joyce rubbed her daughter's back. "You've knotted your halter top up in your hair. Do you want some help?"

"Mom," Buffy blushed, the red color suffusing her cheeks. "We were getting ready for bed when we heard you on the stairs."

Joyce stood and smiled, a vague grimace of a smile. She walked over to the stairs before turning and looking at Buffy.

"I'm sure you were. I'll send Spike up." Joyce winked and Buffy flopped back onto the bed with a groan and covered her eyes with her hands.

When she felt the bed dip, she peeked through her fingers to find Spike grinning down at her. She pushed her way into his arms. They curled on the bed without speaking for a bit. Buffy rested her head on his chest.

"You're chest feels warm." Buffy smiled and rubbed her face against him. "Still a bit cooler than me, but warmer."

"Spending too much time with you humans. Woke up with you pressed so tight to me I could here your heartbeat in my head like it was my own," he chuckled and grinned. She wound her arms up behind his back and pulled him down for a kiss.

Their lips met and Spike growled as her heat infused him again. She was everything to him now. He had barely managed to force the blood down his throat while he listened to Joyce and Buffy converse from the safety of the kitchen. The blood had been fine, but he hadn't wanted it. It wasn't hers. He slipped his fingers to the ties of her halter-top and undid the mess she had made of it.

"Oh," Buffy moaned as he pulled the straps free. He brushed her nipples with his thumbs as he cupped her breasts. "Spike, tell me she's out of the house, tell me we're alone."

"All by our lonesome, Luv." He nuzzled along her jaw and traced her pulse with his tongue. It raced under her skin, enticing him. He tried to pull back, but her hand held him in place. The gentle twist of her fingers in his hair drove him half mad.

"Go ahead, Spike." She pulled his shirt off, ripping it to shreds with one hand. He shuddered as her palm found the flesh of his back.

"In my own time, if you don't mind." Spike grinned as he pushed back from her. "I want to take my time tonight. Taste every part of you."

"If I do mind, can we do this on my schedule?" She shook her head to clear the hair from her face and reached up to pull him back down, but he evaded her. He tilted his head and stared at her while he tossed bits of fabric off the bed with a rueful grin.

"I'll be taking my clothes off before I join you in bed or I'll have nothing left to wear in no time at all." He stood up and dropped his pants to the floor before he grabbed the roll of fabric at her waist and stripped her bare in one easy movement. He stared down at her for a moment; lost in the magic of a heartbeat sounding so loud he could swear it was his own.

Buffy snagged his hand and reeled him in until their lips fused again. Her other hand settled on his shoulder. He could feel her sharp nails dig into his flesh as their tongues battled again and the pressure of her heels on the backs of his thighs. He groaned and gave in. He moved with her and slid his body into hers in a smooth motion. He released her mouth as she gasped his name.

He stared down as he slowly moved his hips, the heat of her body infusing him with the illusion of life once more. He arched his back and rolled his hips in small circles watching her gaze go vague. She writhed, at his mercy, trusting him completely. Her green eyes began to glow, and she jerked him down to her. Her lips found his neck and he felt her trace the column from his collarbone to his jaw. He shivered and gripped her shoulders.

"Let me, Luv." He nuzzled into her neck and let his demon face surface. He teased along her rapid pulse and drove into her harder. She trembled in his arms. Each quiver of her body drove him further, made him wilder. Her hands clenched on the small of his back. Spike felt the tension gathering within her, and he sank his fangs in as she found her release. The warm wash of her blood of his tongue was everything. Her life, her warmth, her quivering release flooded through him. His world narrowed to the beat of her heart, the heat in their limbs, the sweet cling of her flesh to his.

"Oh, Spike." He heard the whisper as she shuddered under him and he broke free of the intoxication of her blood, licking the wound as he pulled away. He looked down at her, the sheen of sweat on her skin, the flush of satisfaction on her face and chest. For a moment, as his body erupted into her, his ears filled with a rush of sound and he took a deep breaths, gulping air as if he needed it. "I love you."


	31. Chapter 31

Daddy was playing with his food in the other room. Drusilla spun as she danced with her own meal. The screams of desperation and fear caused ripples of pleasure to trail down her spine. She lifted his thrall and let him hear his wife beg to die. His eyes widened and he tried to stop.

"No, we spin and twirl our days and nights away. You must dance." His eyes flicked to her. She dug her fingers into his body and made the dance continue. "Daddy will break her free, make her pure. Do you want to see?"

He nodded as she let his flesh free and slid her hands up his torso. He shivered under her hands. His eyes trailed from her hands up to her face.

"Daddy will have his nummy treat soon," Drusilla spun in a circle, clapping. "You'll need to see."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him along behind her. He stumbled, but she pulled harder, not letting him fall. She came to the master bedroom doors and politely knocked.

"Come in, Dru." Angelus called. She opened the door and dragged her meal in behind her.

"May I watch, Daddy?" She smiled and looked up at him through her long eyelashes.

"Keep the man quiet and still and we can share." Angel cupped her face. She leaned forward and liked a bit of blood from his cheek. He raised an eyebrow and she whirled about her long skirt belling out around her legs.

"You must be quiet, you must be still and let Princess drink her fill," She sang as she locked eyes with the man. She waved her finger in front of his face and then giggled. "Be very good or there will be no play time for you."

Angelus summoned her with a gesture, and she ran to his side. He wrapped an arm around her affectionately and squeezed gently. She leaned her head against his shoulder and hummed softly.

"This has been exactly what I needed. You are a clever girl, Drusilla." He touched the tip of her nose with one bloody finger and she giggled. He smiled and licked the blood away. He turned back to the bed with a grin and sat beside the young woman. "She really is quite lovely, has a bit of talent as well. What do you think, Princess?"

Drusilla slid her skirts up her legs and climbed on the bed. She bounced a bit and giggled as Angelus looked at her with an indulgent wink.

"So many lovely little heartbeats, Daddy." Drusilla swayed from side to side. "May I have one?"

"You'll have to serve." He smiled at Drusilla then turned to the woman on the bed. "You don't mind. Do you? You are the hostess, but she so rarely gets to use her finer manners."

The woman shook her head and Angelus smiled. He touched her chin with his fingers, studying the plains of her face.

"It's nice to see a bit of Irish beauty here, so far from home." He dropped his hand and squeezed her breast. The lacerations oozed blood and she gasped in agony as he bent to lick it from her skin. Dru clapped her hands happily.

"So nice to take out time and eat our fill, Daddy." Drusilla trailed one sharp nail across the woman's rounded stomach.

"It really is the little things that make it all worth while isn't it?" Angelus stroked the side of her face. "You are a treasure, Dru."

"May we have our treat before the main course?" Drusilla asked.

"I think you deserve it." Angelus lay down next to the woman and stroked the side of her face until she turned to look at him. "You've been a lovely hostess. The entertainments have been lush. My daughter and I had grown apart, but this weekend, here in your lovely home, has helped us so much."

She nodded, and tears poured from her eyes. He caressed her cheek, examining each purple bruise as it bloomed. He twisted her hair around his finger and watched it catch the light as he unspooled it.

"Perhaps I should have left your tongue in place," Angelus mused. "But you weren't very articulate anymore."

Drusilla smiled when he looked at her and nodded his head. She slid her nail into the flesh and cut back the skin. She licked along the edge of the wound and pulled up laughing as the meal bucked and thrashed, making harsh guttural sounds as her head thrashed about.

"I'd like my treat now," Angelus smiled and watched as his childe drove her hands into the open wound and pulled a large red, ropey mass from inside. She giggled and quickly freed the burgeoning life giving him one and bringing the other to her own lips. The woman sagged between them her heart beat slowing. He watched Drusilla swallow her treat down as he finished his. She was magnificent, true and perfect evil, his creation.

"We need to eat our meal or our food will be quite cold." He smiled, and tilted the woman's head to the side and bit deeply. Dru settled for the femoral artery. He watched her eat and held out his hand. She grabbed it and they finished their meal happily connected.

Drusilla reveled in the warm flow of shared blood. She was close so close to remembering. She could feel the knowledge just beyond the veil. She closed her eyes and the world spun away. The pixies sprawled about her, in drunken disarray. She heard a single voice singing. It was not fine, but a mother's voice, steady and loving. They were always full of love. She opened her eyes and looked to Daddy. His eyes glowed amber. She relaxed in the comfort of his care. Suddenly, heartbeats thudded, first one, then another, until her world began to throb around her. The song reached out to her through her addled mind. She closed her eyes and saw a blonde child, dancing about then another joined it. They waved at her then ran toward the voice. They ran to their mother.


	32. Chapter 32

Buffy danced ahead of Spike as they cut through the cemetery on the way home. Her blue jeans fit like a second skin, and the red lace camisole was perhaps his favorite bit of useless lace in her collection. She bounced along, occasionally jumping up on a gravestone and tossing coy looks back in his direction. He laughed at her antics, until she turned and he saw the playful glimmer in her eye. Tonight's minions had been no challenge, but Buffy was ready to give him one. He smiled, quirked his scarred eyebrow at her in challenge, and gestured with his fingers.

She flung herself at him with a joyful cry, ferocity and finesse in action. He whirled out of her reach and managed to get her in the back of the knee with a quick kick. She turned her fall into a roll and popped up three feet past him.

His girl, always turning straw into gold, he shook his head and ducked low as she sprang for him. He wrapped his arms around her thighs and smiled as a familiar scent spun through his nostrils. She was incorrigible, incredible, and insatiable. He was one lucky bloke. He grinned and bit her denim-clad thigh with his blunt teeth. She smacked his head away from her and wiggled free. They were both breathing heavily and he was about to get to his feet when every nerve in his body tingled. He gulped as Buffy whirled about.

"Having problems, Spike?" A tall, dark haired vampiress stepped into the space between Spike and Buffy. "I'll handle it for you."

"She's not a problem. I'm just enjoying the battle," he said, letting her hungry eyes take in his pale midriff.

"You and your slayer obsession. Nest was never very pleased by it." She tapped one long dark painted nail on her chin.

"Well, Nest is gone. The Order belongs to Angelus now. Are you here to challenge him?" Spike moved to his side trying to figure out the best way to extract Buffy from this mess. She wasn't running. He could see her moving behind them.

"I may hate him, but he has his uses. My sister was good at picking the right vermin to turn." Her voice took on a hard edge.

"Not your sister, no matter how you play it. You are a minion. Darla was a childe." Spike smiled.

"I'm a free minion, now. No more Master, no more oath." She laughed derisively.

"Do you want to be claimed?" Spike rocked his hips and looked her square in the eye. "He will force you to your knees. I might be willing to let you stay on your feet."

"He's nothing more than a sire killing waste of dust and you are the childe of a mad thing." She snarled and stepped toward Buffy.

"Angelus wants her, Rebecca. Don't involve yourself." Spike stood up and righted his shirt, covering his abdomen with a smooth gesture. He could sense three of Rebecca's brood approaching. He was going to be busy.

"She killed the last master, my master. Nest was all that is evil and dark. Angelus is welcome to her corpse." The new vamp rushed at Buffy and tried to wrap her arms around his mate. He bit back the urge to fight Buffy's battle.

Buffy spun away. Keeping herself free from the vampire's grasp. She yanked a stake out of her pants and felt her senses flare as she noticed more powerful presences.

Buffy chanced a look at Spike and saw him scanning for the unseen vampires before she turned toward the beautiful creature preparing to attack again.

"I'm going to paint your blood on my brood and let them wear you as we tear this little town to bits."

"Not really the most appealing accessory. Why not get them matching jackets? Give them some real team spirit. You could design patches for them." Buffy giggled. "A set of fangs, some weird ass squiggly emblem. Your type goes for that stuff."

"I'm going to wear your entrails like a pearl necklace," Rebecca smiled.

"Good luck with that plan. I'm guessing you were never Daddy's favorite. He skipped out on the presents. No virgin blood for the homely minion. Did you have to sit at the kiddie table for the chanting?" Buffy braced herself on a slightly raised grave marker and baited her opponent. "I mean you were probably all the rage until he found Darla. He really did love her, didn't he?"

"He loved us all. We were his children." Rebecca tossed her dark hair over her shoulder.

"Nope, you're a minion. I mean I can sense it. See it, too. Darla packed a bit more punch, and she was prettier, too. I just bet old bat face liked that, liked her youthful, pretty face more than your devotion. Don't feel bad. She was a whore. Probably knew all kinds of tricks to keep him happy." Buffy smiled as the vampiress charged her, and sprang up off the solid marble under her feet. She twisted in the air and landed with her feet square in the back of the larger female, driving her to the ground.

The three vamps burst from their cover and Buffy sat poised with the stake pressed to the back of their maker. She looked at the three hulking males, and shook her head, clucking sadly with her tongue.

"Wow, Spike, is a minion's minion much of vampire? I mean fighting you is hard, but I'm guessing these guys are gonna be all trousers. Isn't that the way you say it?" Buffy smiled at him, carefully wording her questions to avoid revealing his allegiance. "These guys aren't going to survive if I throw a giant flaming organ at them, but you did."

Rebecca tried to buck Buffy off. She flailed about, but Buffy just grinned and dug the stake into her opponent's skin, letting the point slide between the ribs. She grinned at Spike and the other vampires.

"I feel like playing a game," Buffy chortled. "What with the lovely pony ride your Miss Minion is giving me. Spike, I know you, so you referee. Which is your favorite minion, Becky?"

"I will not play your game," the vampire screeched.

"Oh, you aren't the game. You're the prize." Buffy winked at the boys. "Having fun yet, Spike?"

"You do have a way of amusing even as you infuriate, Pet." He nodded and leaned back against a tree. He made a slightly pouty face. "This was our date. Now, I get a show before my meal."

"Well, here are the rules. You three fine young minions love her, right?" Buffy watched them nod with a smile. "Three strong males like you. It must be hard to be at her beck and call. I bet you don't like sharing her one bit. So, I'll give her to the one still alive in ten minutes time. She'll be your very own to do with as you please."

Rebecca bucked until the stake broke one of her ribs. Buffy giggled as the minions stared at her blankly. Spike rolled his eyes.

"Obviously you didn't pick them for their brains," he snorted. He walked over to them. "Let me get the game started."

He twirled a stake on the palm of his hand as he approached them. He staked the largest one and waved his hand in front of his face to dispel the dust. He smiled as the others turned to him.

"There can be only one, boys." He pulled a second stake out and moved to offer them the weapons. They stepped back from him and he spun the weapons again before driving them deep into each minion's chest. He spun about and looked over at Buffy.

"I think you'll like my game more." He smiled as Buffy nodded. "In thirty seconds, the one of you still alive gets me forever."

Buffy felt her knees hit the dust-covered earth a second before Spike knocked her to the ground, rolled her to her back, and kissed her. She pushed up into his kiss and rested her body weight on her forearms. When he broke the kiss, she cocked her head.

"She was too bloody dangerous to play with, Slayer. Plunge. Dust. Repeat." Spike glared at his mate. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Spike, she was a minion. I knew I could take her." Buffy cupped his cheek with her hand.

"She was an almost four hundred year old minion, one of Nest's first turns, his favorite for years. I won't lose you to carelessness and gaiety." His blue eyes flashed golden and he kissed her again.

She slid her mouth from his and pushed him back to stare into his eyes. She had seen and felt his panic.

"You were scared for me, not normal be careful Buffy fear, but big time terror." Buffy looked at him, waiting.

"She tried to kill me once, a long time ago. Said the prophecies were clear and I had to die. I was young, wasn't ready for her. Dru and Angel beat her back and Darla nearly drained her dry. I thought they loved me for about half a second, but it was just Darla flexing her power. No minion would touch a childe of her line. I was beaten for allowing her to hurt me. It didn't matter that Rebecca was strong. I've run across her a time or two in the last hundred years. I've always been aware of her desire to hurt me. I think she set the mob on Dru. Didn't want her to know how important you were to me." He gulped and a tremor ran through his body. Buffy tugged him back to her.

Their lips clashed, teeth and tongue, feeding on each other. Buffy let her body fall back to the earth and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel his need thrumming through her body; feel the urge to celebrate their continued survival. He growled into her mouth and slid his thigh between hers.

Spike was lost in a lust driven haze until he felt her hands fumbling at his belt. He broke away from her mouth and took in their surroundings. They were out in the open for any demon to stumble upon. He shook his head to clear it. They needed to be somewhere safe.

He looked at the crypt five feet away. It was old, less chance of rotting flesh to stink the place up. He scooped Buffy up in his arms and kissed her as he strode toward the door. He kicked the door and heard the old bolt give. He grinned. Entropy and decay his allies in seduction. He looked around as he ducked in the door, one sarcophagus and lots of space. Not bad really, just the kind of fixer upper he would have chosen if he were on his own.

He let Buffy down and shrugged off his duster. He spread it on the ground and pulled Buffy back into his arms. He grinned as she pulled her shirt off and tossed it away. She was lovely in the darkness. He trailed tiny kisses along her neck and down her to the valley between her breasts. She groaned and wrapped her arms around him and pulled at his shirt. He could feel her nails digging into his flesh. He shivered and let her pull his shirt off. Then he knelt before her and kissed the tip of her nipple through the lace of her bra. He sucked it through the rough texture of the lace. Her fingers speared through his hair holding him in place.

He could hear her gasping, feel his own urge to breathe. He let her nipple slide from his mouth with a wet popping sound, and took in deep pulls of air as she pushed her own pants down. He smiled and rested his forehead against the skin of her stomach.

She sank down to her knees and kissed him, all hot demand and screaming need. Her nimble fingers made quick work of his pants. He smiled as they pooled at his knees. He felt her hands on his hips, kneading his flesh.

"You can get as loud as you want here," Buffy whispered against his ear. "You can make me scream as loud as you want, too."

She pushed him back onto his coat. He stared up at her with her golden hair wild and her eyes heavy lidded. She was beauty and joy, all the things that he had lost and she had returned. She stroked him with her fingertips, bent over his prone form, and kissed his chest. Her mouth was hot and wet as it slid on his smooth skin. She flicked his nipples and smiled at his groan.

"I want you louder. She slid her mouth down his torso and swirled it around his belly button in a circle before dipping it in. He jerked as he bit back a bark of laughter. She grinned up at him and dropped her mouth lower. He felt her hot breath on his cock and his world stopped.

The tip of her tongue traced along the velvety skin of his cock and then the hot cavern of her mouth enveloped him. She sucked tentatively, and he groaned. She pursed her lips around him and squeezed as she swirled her tongue against him.

He arched up under her and roared, his demon emerging. He pulled her up his body without thought and rolled her beneath him. The softness of her body and the welcoming heat of her touch entranced him. He looked down at her, golden hair spilling across the cold stone floor, and growled. Lowering his head slowly, he delighted in the fiery kisses she peppered on his ridges. He nuzzled against her jaw and purred.

Her legs wrapped around him as she pulled at his shoulders. She scratched and clawed at him, but he wouldn't move into her. He was fighting to regain his human face, and she didn't want that. She wanted to know all of him.

She reared up beneath him and struck. Her teeth sunk into the flesh of his neck, not breaking the skin. Another roar broke from inside him. He erupted in a flurry of motion, slamming her down hard onto the floor. He stared down at her, holding her down with one hand pressed to her sternum.

She felt something rising inside her. Her body was demanding, screaming for action. She growled, a deep and visceral sound.

"You are mine," she said through gritted teeth. "I want you, I want all of you."

He closed his eyes as a tremor ran through him. He lowered his body onto hers slowly and nuzzled against her neck. Gentle even as the demon screamed for more within him. He heard her frustrated growl as he licked her shoulder, and smiled.

Buffy felt frustration rising, and her body seemed to burn from within. Her vision improved as she felt a slight tingle in her gums. Instincts reared up within her. She looked at the curve of his neck and her tongue swirled around the two petite canine teeth that had somehow elongated. Part of her was panicking. She had fangs, even if they seemed more like Hollywood vampire fangs than Spike's. The other part of her didn't care. She licked his neck where a pulse would be and felt him shiver.

She struck fast, letting her instincts rule. She shuddered as his blood flooded into her. She could feel him struggling to break free, sense his shock. She clung to him until he went still. Releasing her hold on his neck was difficult. He tasted so good to her. She let his flesh slide out of her mouth and relaxed under him, licking at his wound with long, lazy strokes of her tongue.

"Buffy," Spike pulled back and looked down into glowing green eyes. She still looked just like his Buffy, his very human Buffy. He watched her quick smile and shuddered at the sight of the two petite fangs gracing her grin. Words fled.

She stared up into his eyes and saw him freeze. Rejection flared through her. He didn't want her like this, the wildness emerging. She wanted to scream. Her sudden twist and shove set him back on his heels, and she stood and walked away. She leaned against the sarcophagus, clawed at the stone as the sting of his rejection burned through her.

Spike watched his mate clinging to a sarcophagus. He could feel her desolation. He shook off his demon and approached her. What could he say that would comfort her? What apology would be enough? He stroked her back and tried to pull her against his chest. She growled and shrugged him off.

"Buffy, I'm sorry," he put a hand on her shoulder. "It never occurred to me that you might develop fangs. I shouldn't have allowed this mating without knowing all the consequences."

She whirled about to face him, her glowing green eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring. Her growl was a deep rumbling sound. He felt his demon starting to rise to her challenge. He stepped back and she swung, one fist square to his shoulder.

"You don't want me like this," she snarled. "I get it. You just want the human."

"Of course I want you like this, Buffy," he said incredulously. "You're my mate. You are the most adorable, lovely, ferocious being in the world."

"Then, why won't you take me?"

"I never want to hurt you, Buffy. Tell me what you want."

"I want you, all of you. I love the human side of you and the demon. I don't want it to matter between us. You're the one with demon issues. I like my fangs just fine." Buffy tossed her head and flipped around, giving him her back once more.

He looked at her, naked and defiant. She was magnificent. He called forth his demon and stepped up behind her. Her warning growl amused him. He wrenched her back against him and grabbed her hair in one hand, pulling it lightly until her throbbing pulse was bared to him. She bucked her hips and her luscious ass back into him and he growled.

"I don't want some pity fuck. Let me go." She tried to break free from him.

"It's a good thing I don't do pity," Spike whispered against her ear as he pushed her lower body flush with the stone coffin. He felt her tense and then he struck sinking his fangs in deeply. He felt her flinch at the pain, but then her body went into a frenzy as she screamed her release as he pulled her warm blood into his body.

"Oh, please, Spike, don't ever stop." She reached behind her with her hands to clench his head to her neck. He took a long slow draw on her blood, stretching out the sensation for her. Her little mewing cries and the scrabble of her feet against the smooth stone fragmented what was left of his control. He released her neck and shoved her down with one hand between her shoulder blades. She writhed before him, lost in the demands of her body.

He could see tears sliding down her cheeks as he spread her legs and buried himself deep in her with one thrust. He pounded into her furiously. The sweet honey of her arousal flowed, drenching him and filling the air.

He pushed faster, harder, reaching for the precipice. Buffy was making inarticulate noises with every urgent glide of his body in hers. He could feel her need spiraling and focused on driving her higher. He pulled her up against his chest. Pulling her knees up to the top of the monument. He drove deep into her and caressed her breasts from behind. Her head fell back and she turned toward him. Her blazing eyes met his and he angled his head to kiss her. Their tongues rampaged. He relished the play of their fangs against each other. He pulled back and slid his fangs into her neck once more. He sucked one mouthful of her blood and let go. Buffy made small, helpless sounds as he held her at the edge of fulfillment. She clawed at him, screamed, and flexed her body around him. He could feel the rush of his own orgasm approaching. Her heartbeat hammered through him as he forced them both higher. Her muscles clenched on him as she roared and his body flooded hers, his own bellow drowning her out.

"I love you, Buffy." He gasped as he gathered her to him and coiled their bodies together on the top of the coffin. She turned and curled against him. Her human features returned. Her hand slid along his chest and paused.

"Spike, you said something about a prophecy earlier, right." Buffy asked as she pushed up to look into his eyes.

"We can talk about it soon. I just want to enjoy the moment, Luv," he muttered and stroked her hair. "Love the sound of your heart."

"That's not my heart, Spike." Buffy pressed on his chest. "It's yours."


	33. Chapter 33

Giles paced around the kitchen as he processed the information his slayer and her mate had dumped into his lap. A vampire with a heartbeat, the notion was ridiculous. They had to be mistaken.

"You're sure about this? Absolutely sure?" He stared at Buffy looking for any hint of doubt.

"I think the beating of a heart under my hand is pretty hard to miss," she said defiantly.

"He's dead, Buffy. Dead things don't come back like that. There's never been a vampire restored to humanity." Giles took his glasses off and began polishing them as his mind whirled.

"I don't particularly want my humanity back," Spike said with a sad smile. He tucked some stray hairs behind Buffy's ear. "I wouldn't be much use to her if I resumed being my human self."

"Your heart was beating, but you weren't weak or anything. I would have noticed." She blushed brightly as both men looked at her. Spike smiled and touched her cheek gently.

"Could it be related to the mating?" Spike asked as certain things started to click into place. "We share strengths. You've been able to speak all the languages I know easily and there were other things."

Buffy's cheeks reddened further and Giles felt anger bloom inside him. His slayer was keeping secrets again. tutoring had nothing to do with her recent improvement with French.

"So, you are keeping things from me." Buffy turned toward him at the shift in his voice. He could see the panic flare in her eyes.

"I didn't want to talk about the mating stuff with you. At least, not right now, ya know." she bit her lip. "We kinda have a lot on our plates with Angelus and his machinations."

"We agreed there would be no more prevarications between us, Buffy." Giles put his glasses back on and glared at her.

"Fine," she snarled and her eyes glowed brightly for a moment. He caught his breath as Spike grabbed her shoulder.

"Let it go, Pet. You're quick to fly off the handle but the watcher has a point. We should have been more forthright with him. He can research while we fight. We might need the answers sooner rather than later." Spike stroked her arm. "There might be something we can use in the upcoming battle Or a weakness we need to be aware of before we jump into the fray."

"Fine," she growled. "Tell him everything. Should we describe the sexual positions for him, too?"

Giles watched his slayer retreat into her defensive mode and wondered if he should keep a running tally of the times she would utter the word fine. He watched her as she leaned into her mate. She was so very young. It was easy to forget her age most of the time. Rebellion was natural for teenagers, but Buffy never did anything all that horrible. She had shirked her duty a time or two. It was to be expected as she balanced her longing for a normal life with the responsibilities of her destiny. He took several deep breaths and forced himself to look at the situation calmly.

"Buffy, I don't need all the personal details. I just need to know the larger realities. Give it to me in broad strokes." Giles said softly.

"Fine," she said as she rubbed the back of her neck. Giles bit back a grin and plastered his concerned face on. She started pacing in the path he had abandoned. Spike watched her avidly."I have fangs and my eyes change, at least I think they do. It's only happened the one time."

"You turn into a vampire?" Giles swallowed. Angelus was suddenly a very small problem on a distant horizon.

"No, her heart beats. She is fully alive. Her fangs are cute, petite little canines, like something out of a Lugosi film. There are no ridges and her eyes glow green." Spike said. "She isn't turning evil."

"Giles, I drank his blood in the moment. It was crazy, but I did it." She said it softly. "I used to be so afraid of being turned. Why isn't any of this bothering me?"

"I don't believe you are turning, at least not in the traditional sense. The first slayer was forced to accept her power. Each slayer since her has had various reactions to it. It is possible you are just the first one to fully accept it. The spell you did may be melding your strengths and his into something as well. I can't know until I research." Giles stepped forward and pulled Buffy into his warm embrace. "No matter, I love you as you are. You are my slayer."

"Watcher mine, you are the best." She smiled up at him with shining eyes. He swallowed and watched her eyes sparkle and return to normal. She was still his slayer. Buffy slid from his arms and looked over at Spike happily.

"Are there any other changes I should know about?" He asked.

"I breathe sometimes, I feel the need for it." Spike said softly. "I thought it was just an emotional thing, but it could be more."

Buffy walked over to her mate and touched him gently. He watched as their eyes met and held. They were a stunning pair to behold. No artist or musician had ever captured the truth of them. He tilted his head and looked at them closely, Death and the Maiden. It was then that something odd flitted in his mind. There was something he knew And it mattered, but he'd be damned before he could figure it out.

"There's a prophecy about me. Well, maybe about me." Spike said and looked up to see Giles examining them.

"It would be stranger if there were none." Giles said. "You are not the common vampire."

"We can sense each other's emotions. I know when he's angry, scared, happy, sad, all of it." Buffy sucked her lips in over her teeth. He could see the nerves playing through her.

"I'll do the research and it would help me to know the details of the prophecy, but if you two need a few moments, I can wait." Giles said.

"I think this is a band aid thing." Buffy said and Spike nodded. "I'd really rather get it done now. Just rip it off, ya know."

"Why don't you start some tea then, while I get a notebook?" Giles directed and gave them a moment of peace to collect their thoughts. He stepped into the living room and grabbed a notebook he had left there when they arrived home. He looked around the room. These linked up buildings were home in a very real way. Buffy and Spike had given him a real home. He would make sure they could keep it.


	34. Chapter 34

Drusilla stared at the sky, admiring the myriad stars twinkling above her, as her fingers sifted through the dirt on the top of her new boy's makeshift grave. It was still warm from the hateful sun. Sometimes she would dance in its rays in visions, but it would never shine happily on her true flesh. A low growl escaped her lips. The memory of life plagued her in fits and starts, reminding her that her existence was merely a reflection of what she had once been like the moon's light.

Her mind turned and she thought about her renewed bond with daddy. Sharing the special treat had been delightful. The sweet blood had washed them clean of the distance built over the century apart. It had been so long since he had truly enjoyed her company. William and Darla had left her without a proper goodbye. She missed them so much, but there was her new boy. She had made his meals dig so deep that he would be sure to scrape any remnants of his pesky soul off as he worked his way free. Daddy would help her raise him. They would be a family again. Dreams of blood drenched nights flared in her heart and mind. The stars spun and twinkled above, the grass beneath her tickled the skin of her arms, and Drusilla felt the earth spinning through space. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift free.

Angelus danced around her singing something in a foreign language. It wasn't really her Daddy. She knew he was still inside with the husband of their meal, but his voice rose and fell around her. The words were odd, robbing his voice of all its beauty. She wanted her Daddy to stop. She covered her ears with her hands, but his voice grew stronger and more demanding. The pixies began to sing as well, a chorus to his lead. The song beat against her each word a strike against her. She opened her eyes and watched as the vision coalesced around her.

A statue emitted a cold light over the prone form of her Daddy. It was tall and ancient, a form trapped rather than carved. The red witch stood behind it, her arms stretched inhumanly long, reaching around it to rip at Daddy's clothes. The wolf stood behind her, his arms laced around her body holding her back. The scene made her want to scream, so she turned away, ignoring the fear it engendered. She looked around and saw the giant cup behind them topple. A rush of blood spilled out the slayer and her William. She looked at her boy as he smiled at his doom. The blonde extended a hand and their fingers entwined naturally. She dove toward the slayer with burning rage but flowers restrained her. The twirled around her legs and brought her to a stumbling halt.

She looked down and saw thousands of flowers blooming where the blood had drenched the earth. Myriad colors assaulted her as she examined the flowers, looking for a weakness. The pixies laughed and danced around the edge of this wild garden prison, rejoicing in her pain. She looked up to see the slayer and her William kissing, their blonde heads crowned by flowers.

Searing pain flowed through her and she fought to hold the vision as flickers of something darker pulled at her. The world spun beneath her, but she could not move with it. There was something nagging at the back of her mind, but she could not realize it. She looked at William and his love. They glowed like the sun as flowers bound them to the living earth. They spun away from her, safe and content.

The scene melted and she was in the confessional, praying for assistance from Heaven, her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in frightened pants. No angel came to her rescue, but Angelus was there. His cruel smile washed her in fear and excitement. His nostrils flared and he reached out a lone finger to trace along her cheek. The ice of his touch ripped into her. She stared into his deep brown eyes and felt the world spin beneath her again.

She blinked and smiled as she looked at the blood splattered face of her sire. He was stripped to the waist. His strong body bared in the moonlight. Blood played on his skin, glistening in the moonlight. The gypsy girl lay in a discarded heap behind him and he laughed pulling Drusilla toward him for a passionate kiss. She leaned into him happily until their flesh met. He burned her like holy water. She could feel the skin of her body melting as she was flung from the vision.

The ground beneath her did not spin. She was firmly tied to the earth. A long sigh escaped her as she released unneeded air from her body. The world would not spin away and leave her. She rolled on her side to face the turned ground next to her. It wasn't easy being lonely. Her William was the slayer's toy now, but it didnt matter. There would be a new boy soon. She could feel him inside her, struggling toward his new existence. He didn't feel like her William. He had no heart, he was rage and power, like Daddy. She hummed a gentle tune to soothe him. He would have to be taught quickly to behave or Daddy would kill him.

She sunk her fingers deep into the earth. He would rise soon and be hers forever. This boy would not leave her. He would be vicious and cruel, unstoppable. It would be good to have a boy so fierce. Her new tiger, he would follow behind her and guard her back. He wouldn't need her as William had, but he would do as she wanted or suffer. She couldn't wait to punish him and make him scream.


	35. Chapter 35

Sophie watched as her master paced through their luxury suite. His anger was a living thing. It had vibrancy and fire. She cringed as he growled. The last time he had been like this it had taken her months to recover. The holy water burns alone had taken weeks. Perhaps he would be angry enough this time to break their bond and kill her. She closed her eyes and imagined the relief she would feel in the split second before the wind scattered her dust.

"He summoned me? He summoned all of us?" Penn snarled , came to a halt, and stared out the huge windows at the twinkling lights of the city. "He brought us here, but he's not at home. They were minions. He left minions to greet us."

He whirled and his handsome face turned toward her. She managed to hold her ground. Showing any weakness would just enrage him. She needed to be strong enough to find Spike. He would take pity on her and Penn feared him.

"He disappears for a century and now he wants me to curl at his feet like a damned puppy, to wait on his command. Has he lost all sense?"

"He always likes to play his games. Perhaps, this is one." She managed to shrug casually. "Angelus is Angelus."

"Devil help us if it is." Penn stroked her honey gold hair back from her face with a gentle hand. "Those minions were far too stupid. I should have killed them all."

"But then no one would have remained to tell him of our arrival." Sophie said in her sweetest tone.

"It is rather difficult to send a message if you kill the messenger." Penn rubbed a thumb along her lower lip. Her body quickened to his touch, as it always did. "Is my room ready?"

"Yes, the twins prepared it and acquired a tribute for it so that you could enjoy the day." She curtsied and looked at the ground waiting for him to raise her up. He touched her hair and she shivered.

"Come with me." The demand was expected. He offered her his arm and she looked up at him as she rose gracefully. There was nothing else to do, no escape from his entertainments. She schooled her features into a blank mask. There was no need to funnel his creativity in another direction. Here, on the hell mouth, their kind went largely unnoticed.

The twins watched as they approached, their golden eyes following his every move. His minions, a perfectly matched pair of German lads he had picked up during the First World War. He had removed their tongues and other body parts before turning them, denying them any pleasure in their new existence. They treated her with deference when he was not around because she had fed them when he had wanted them to starve. For the last fifty years, he had starved her, allowing her to feed only from willing family of her status or higher. It had been three and a half weeks since her last meal. The twins opened the double doors with precision, so their pace never changed.

She shook at the sight of the young girl bound and gagged on the bed. He always liked the ones that reminded him of his sister. He would play for hours. Somewhere in the last fifty years, she had come to empathize with his victims. She envied them their quick deaths. They never lasted more than a day or two. The doors closed behind them and Penn smiled at her, his glee undisguised.

"They did well for me." He stroked one finger along the girl's shuddering flank.

"They always do," she said. "They are as minions should be."

"Take your clothes off, my dear. It wouldn't do for you to splatter such a lovely frock." His eyes never left his meal. She slipped off the plain black dress and hung it in the closet. She took several unnecessary breaths and then expelled all the air from her lungs. No need to make this harder on herself. She knelt beside him and tolerated his pat on the top of her head.

The small whimpers reached her ears and she closed her eyes against them. She tried to remember the coast of Cornwall as the sun shone on the water. It was one of the few memories from her life that remained crisp. She used to watch the waves roll in and dream of the adventures in her future until a small and of travelers had arrived one night. Penn and Angelus, handsome beyond imagining, had sparked her virginal imagination with no real effort at all. Darla and Drusilla had been demure and lovely and so fashionable. Her mother had smiled as the staff served her final meal, at ease and happy to host such noble guests. She let the memories drift away and forced herself to accept her fate.

"She will be a delight, Sophie, a masterpiece. He turned away from his prize and looked down into her eyes. She nodded her agreement, knowing her words would be superfluous to him now. He stroked his palm along her bare shoulder. "We shall have such fun."

He stroked her shoulder again and then his other hand sank into her hair. He freed her hair from its bun and massaged her scalp for a moment. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. A shudder ran through her when she felt the rubber ball rub against her lips. She opened her mouth and he pressed the familiar thing into her mouth. She opened her eyes and stared up at him as he covered her closed lips with duck tape. He sealed it to her face and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs.

"Not a drop for you, my naughty girl." She nodded and he smiled. "You want to please me, yes? You are leaving your naughty ways behind. Are you not?"

He didn't expect an answer. It was merely the script for his little ritual. She remained on her knees next to him, forgotten as the living girl drew his attention with her struggles. His quiet murmurs and soothing words registered dimly as she tried to escape into her mind.

The first splatter of blood was agony. The metallic scent assaulted her, her starving body aching for sustenance. She started to shake as need swamped her. She fought the urge to take a breath through her nose. It would only aggravate her condition. The agonized sounds of his victim became her world. She centered her every thought on the obvious agony. She forced her mind to empathize with his latest victim, to see her as more than food and entertainment. Each muffled scream, each tortured breath her ears registered, became her own. The day passed, measured in crimson splatters and faltering heart beats. Tears coursed from her eyes as she knelt, unmoving.

His blood drenched hand grabbed her hair and he dragged her up and tossed her face first across the still warm corpse. She stared into the lifeless eyes, sorrow and envy warring within her as he slammed his cock inside of her.

The humiliation of this final act of his little play had worn off decades before. She looked into sightless eyes and wondered if there was peace in true death. She felt each thrust of Penn's body against hers distantly. He finished with a roar, yanked her up by her hair, and tossed her aside. He licked the blood from one cheek of the lifeless girl.

"Leave me," he commanded. Sophie scrambled from the room before he could add to the command. She had her window. She could flee into the night and find Spike. It was a slim chance, but it had to work.


	36. Chapter 36

Buffy woke up with her head on Spike's chest. She rubbed her cheek against the cool smoothness and realized he was breathing. She sat up and looked at him carefully. He was asleep and breathing.

"That's new." Buffy grinned and stroked his chest with her fingers. His eyes opened and he stretched like a cat.

"Good morning, Luv." He smiled at her and reached up to pull her in for a kiss. She slid back down beside him and let her hands trace small circles on his skin as their tongues tangled. It was so easy to be with him like this. She pulled back and stared into his eyes with a smile.

"We need to make them like you. I don't want it to be a battle, but we have to make them accept you." She said.

"If the watcher doesn't gag each time I kiss you, we're doing fine, Luv." Spike pushed her hair back behind her ear. "Your mum seems to have come around a bit. The others will take a bit of time. You shouldn't fret about it."

"Your killing off your family every night. None of them get that." She ran her leg up over his so he couldn't escape the conversation.

"You're my family now."

"I know that, but you've had to kill other beings you care about to protect us. It can't be easy." She pressed her hand over his heart. "You're changing, but you've always had more heart than the others. You took care of Drusilla when she couldn't take care of herself. You were friends with others."

"I will dust everyone of them that comes against us, Buffy. Members of the order are stronger than most vampires. We can't afford to indulge my softer emotions. I never could. I had to be vicious to survive with them. I'm more than willing to be ferocious to survive them." He flipped them and stared down into her eyes intensely. "I want this life with you, and you, Dearest Heart, are worth it."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down to her lips. The coolness of his breath across her lips was intoxicating. She paused and shivered before sealing their lips together. He ran his hands along her body, teasing her nerve endings into a frenzy. She shrugged off the blankets and kicked them away, enjoying the unfettered slide of his body against hers. He chuckled against her lips, pulled away, and settled next to her on the bed.

"I love you, Buffy. You've given me real life. I don't mean the odd heartbeat. This world passed by me, nothing but a blur. I was removed from it. I tried to stay in it, but as the time flows by you it gets harder. You've given me back my place in it. If it lasts a minute or centuries, I know where I belong."

"You know it won't be centuries, not with me." She looked down and traced her finger across the skin of his chest. "I tied you back to the world, but I don't have forever. One falls and another rises, and I've fallen once."

"Might be different with me around. You have another strong arm at your back. Might have decades and decades." He curled his finger under her chin and raised her eyes back to him. "We have a family to protect. Maybe we will get to see it grow. I'd like to be an uncle type. Get to indulge the blighters then drop them back with their parents and drag you back to bed."

"You are one freaky vampire." Buffy couldn't fight off her grin.

"Never really did fit in with the others. Had to constantly prove myself. I hated killing the weak, Luv. It made me nauseous, but the others would laugh and play." He looked away from her. "Started hunting your kind to shut them up. Kill a slayer and you are badass. In the order, brutality and ingenuity are treasured."

"They can't all be vicious. Drusilla cared for you. I saw that." Buffy bit her lip. "Angel wouldn't fight you if he could avoid it. He only killed Darla to save me. He avoided all the major players when the Master was trying to break free. He must have cared in some way. You came home beat to shit that one night because you didn't want to kill a couple of them, so I know you feel something for them."

"There are one or two that it will pain me to end, but I will do it, because protecting you is everything to me. Don't fight them and wonder if this is one I care for or not. They won't care, so you don't. Do you hear me?"

She nodded and stared into his eyes. His panic was obvious. His need to protect her was so strong. She bit her lip as he pulled her toward him in a fierce hug. Kissing the side of his neck, she licked across his scar and felt him shiver in her arms.

"I'll do what needs doing, but if you need to talk or mourn, I want to be there for you." She whispered against the delicate shell of his ear.

He shifted his body and settled between her legs. His eyes flickered for a second between colors, and she giggled as she arched her hips up to his. Wanting him to seize control and satisfy her. A decidedly wicked grin appeared on his face and he kissed the tip of her nose. She shuddered as he teased her, rubbing his cock against her but not sliding home.

"You are still evil, deliciously evil." She said against his lips. "Stop teasing me."

"Stop pouting," He grinned, and she turned her head and offered him her neck. "Bloody unfair, you know I can't resist."

She giggled as he drove his fangs and his cock into her. He stopped and released her neck to stare down into her smiling face. He looked offended.

"Am I amusing you?" He raised a single eyebrow and stared in open shock as she convulsed with laughter.

"Yeah, You amuse me, you're a clown." She chocked out as he stared down at her, completely perplexed. He tried to pull away from her and she managed to stifle the laughter. "It's from some gangster movie Xander made me watch."

"You're thinking about movies with Xander now?" He shook his head and kissed her neck. Then he slid back into her and she gasped as the pleasure took hold. "Look at me, Ma. Top of the world. Saw my own bit of gangster films."

She smiled up at him and enjoyed the moment, reveling in every touch. Soon enough they would have to deal with the world again. She arched her back and bit back a scream. Spike felt like she had given him the world, and she reveled in the times he spent making her forget about it.

"I love you, Spike." She said as he pushed her higher.

"You are my world. I love you. You are my everything."


End file.
